I am creating a "Journal Entry" for page "Page" (grouping of 15 coins) in the Gallery view for my Roman Empire Custom Set.

To that end, this journal entry is for the first Page in the collection, which I have entitled "Prelude," with the goal to  provide a good introduction to the geography, peoples, political climate, etc. that existed just prior to Rome converting from Republic to Empire.  Here is the synopsis...

Prelude. The saga begins with coins from mid 2nd to 1st century BC exemplifying the late Roman Republic including the rise and fall of Julius Caesar, the waning of Hellenistic influence, and other contemporary tribes of the ancient world.

...and here is a link to the Page...

https://coins.www.collectors-society.com/wcm/CoinCustomSetGallery.aspx?s=16365

I just received grades on my last round of ancients (which took two months), and among those coins was an example of "The Coin That Killed Ceasar," so now I can update that this first Page is COMPLETE!  

Of course, I might decided to "upgrade" certain coins later.  Also, as this is a Custom Set, I might decide later on to redefine the coins in one or more slots (that is the fun of an NGC Custom Set -  I don’t have to worry about someone else changing the rules for what coins are allowed etc, it’s all up to my own preference!)

The following is a brief description of the coins I choose to include and why.

1. First, I wanted to provide a few examples of coins from the Roman Republic.  There are lots of beautiful and historically important coins to choose from, so that is a tough task. In the end I choose three (and then four other coins that should be deemed as “Imperatorial”, but I’m getting ahead of myself).  The very first is an MS grade Roman denarius, Strike=5/5, Surface=4/5, featuring a Roma obverse and a reverse that portrays Rome’s founding – the fascinating tale or Romulus and Remus.  What better choice to kick of the collection?

2. An MS grade Roman denarius, Strike=5/5, Surface=4/5 featuring Roma obverse and a triga reverse, wherein I used this coin to discuss how the ancient Roman Republic oversaw coin production – namely, the role of Rome’s “moneyers.”  While this coin is arguably the least interesting/important on this Page, I included it since it has a special meaning to me.  Namely, it was one the very first ancient coins I ever purchased, and (which is getting rarer and rarer these days) I purchased it after selecting it by hand in a coin shop  (as opposed to ordering from an image over the internet).  So when I submitted that coin for grading and received the MS, I was obviously very pleased.

3. This one I could not resist buying – a gorgeous Ch MS, Strike=5/5, Surface=5/5, Roman denarius issued by L. Marcius Censorinus, whose ultimate fate at the hands of Sulla parallels in some ways the subject of the reverse, namely Marsyas.  In a way, this coin’s imagery is a prelude to the curtailment of personal liberties that was ahead for Rome’s citizens as their State turned into an autocracy.

4. An MS grade denarius issued by Sulla, Strike=4/5, Surface=5/5.  Another gorgeous coin, one best appreciated “in hand,” one that a picture does not do justice to.  Sulla served for a time a Rome’s first dictator in a century and he (inadvertently?!) paved the way for Caesar’s rise to be Rome’s dictator, and subsequently Augustus’ rise to Emperor.

5. Rome’s arch-nemesis in first century BC, namely Mithradates VI, King of Pontus.  I could not resist adding Mithradates, he is such an interesting figure from history.  This one is a very lustrous Ch MS gold stater 5/5, 5/5, don’t ask me how a coin this coin managed to survive in such pristine state?

6. This one is a tetradrachm, graded Ch AU, Strike=5/5, Surface=4/5, featuring Nicomedes IV, King of Bithynia.  I could not resist adding this one for lots of reasons…first, I love the size, heft and presence of holding an ancient tetradrachm (for anyone who has held in hand an ancient stephanophoric tetradrachm, you know what I mean).  In this case, I almost was reluctant to encase this coin in a slab (this could be an interesting topic for discussion all by itself!)  Second, Nicomedes played a role in Caesar’s rise to power, and they were reported to have a sexual relationship (at least to the point some Romans called Caesar the “Queen of Bithynia”).  Third, the story of Nicomedes alternating between the forerunner of a client King and a refugee in Rome is fascinating and again is prelude to the Roman Empire's grappling over the control of client states.

7. An ancient bronze of Tigranes II The Great, graded Ch VF, Strike=5/5, Surface=4/5.  Tigranes was an another extremely interesting fellow, a former Roman enemy turned ally…his story is another one that preludes how Rome exerted power over client kingdoms.  I also love that he associated himself on his coinage with the celestial object we today call Halley’s comet!

8. The next two coins are representative of the other cultures living in Europe contemporaneously with the Romans.  The first coin is Celtic AR Drachm, graded MS, Strike=4/5, Surface=5/5, imitating the Greek coinage of Massalia.  I used this coin and this slot in the collection to provide an overview of the Celtic tribes that exerted a tremendous influence on the Roman Empire, and eventually consumed it.

9. This coin is an ancient bronze grade VF, Strike=5/5, Surface=4/5, featuring the great King of the Gauls (or more appropriately, Galatia).  That remarkable man was Deiotarus, who became an ally to Rome after Cicero successfully pleaded his case before Caesar.  This was one of many examples where my research on the coin proved far more interesting than I expected.

10. Finally, we get to Caesar himself, and in the end I choose three coins.  The first is an historically important and iconic “elephant denarius.”  This one graded Ch AU, Strike= 5/5, Surface=5/5 with a Star noted. While I was excited to get such a good grade, to be honest I was hoping for an MS (oh well, almost!).  I used this slot to reflect on Caesar’s civil war.

11. An MS grade denarius representing Caesar’s reign as dictator.  This one is another propaganda masterpiece, wherein Caesar advertises his supposed ancestral link to Athena and Aeneas.  The Surface rated 5/5, however, an off-center strike resulted in a Strike rating of 3/5.  Even so, the coin is extremely pleasing, and the strike does not reduce its allure to me; it is perhaps par for the course for coinage that was struck with such urgency.

12. This coin is one of the most historically important ancient coins that is reasonably accessible (as compared to, say Brutus' ides of March denarii).  I just received the grade on this one as AU.  The strike rated as a 3/5 (again, off center and weak), which in this case in not unusual for this coin; in this case, I do not perceive the "low" grade as a detriment, but rather as a feature.  The surface rated as 4/5.  This coin, and others similar to it that were struck contemporaneously, were the first examples where a living Roman was depicted on Rome's coins.  Not only that, the coin also proclaims Caesar's new title as "Dictator for Life."  Arguably, such coins precipitated Caesar's murder, and some have even gone so far as call this denarius as The Coin That Killed Caesar.

13. Another example of a coin that I saw and immediately found irresistible to procure for the collection.  It is an ancient bronze graded Ch VF, Strike=5/5, Surface=4/5.  I love the obverse Janiform bust of Pompey, and took the chance to reflect on that Roman god’s duality of beginning/ending, and war/peace.  I also used this coin slot to describe some details about Rome’s ferocious war machine, while simultaneously providing some background about Pompey and his descendants, and their wars against Caesar and his successors, notably Octavian, who would become Augustus.

14. It would not seem proper if I didn't include a coin of Brutus’, so this one is a enigmatic “Koson” gold stater, rated Ch MS (no Strike or Surface grading).  This is an extremely interesting coin since there is controversy regarding whether Brutus actually struck it or not (at least he inspired it, so that alone makes it relevant to use for this slot, at least in my opinion). My Owner’s Comments on this one provide some scenarios for coin’s origins, in light of the referenced paper describing elemental analyses via particle-induced X-ray emission and synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence.  Et tu, ΚΟΣΩΝ?

15. Last, but certainly not least, is an MS graded denarius, Strike=5/5, Surface=4/5, issued by Brutus’ ally and co-conspirator, Cassius.  It seems fitting to end the "Prelude" Page with an example of a coin produced by the man that Brutus described as the "Last Roman."