Roman gold : Coins of the Twelve Caesars

Gaius Julius Caesar (born 13 July 100 BCE), belonged to the Caesares family of the large Julian clan. He would live to make the name “Caesar” a title for emperors and their sons; a title that would endure for millennia, becoming Kaiser in German and Tsar in Russian. Few of Caesar’s gold coins bear his portrait; many depict an uncertain female goddess. A rare example struck by a military mint moving with Caesar’s army in 48-47 BCE sold for over $300k.

The assassination of Caesar renewed the civil war, which ended 17 years later when his great-nephew Octavius received the title of “Augustus” from the Senate. On much of his elegant gold coinage the only inscription is the word AUGUSTUS. Although he lived to the age of 75, his coin portrait remained youthful and idealized. A superb aureus of Augustus sold for nearly $400k.

Caligula was born in the year 12. His father Germanicus was a successful, popular general. Caligula’s mother, Agrippina was the daughter of Marcus Agrippa, the organizer behind Octavius’s victory in the civil war. Caligula’s silver and gold coins are scarce.

Following the murder of Caligula (24 January 41), the Praetorian Guard declared his uncle Claudius, aged 51, as emperor. Claudius proved to be an effective ruler for the next 13 years.

In numismatics, Nero is remembered as the depraved emperor who debased Roman coinage.

Nero is remembered as a depraved emperor. Nero’s gold coins survive in large numbers and are the most affordable aurei of the Twelve Caesars.

Nero’s suicide resulted in another civil war. Servius Sulpicius Galba was proclaimed emperor by his legions. Galba’s coinage is abundant.

Aulus Vitellius was born in 14 CE. Galba appointed him commander of the legions in Germania. He defeated Otho’s forces and occupied Rome in June, 69. He lasted eight months. When the legions of the East under general Vespasian advanced on Rome, he was hunted down and killed on December 22. The coinage of Vitellius is scarce.

Titus Flavius Vespasianus was the son of a tax official. He rose through the ranks and distinguished himself in the invasion of Britain (43 CE). In 67, Nero sent him to crush the revolt in Judaea. On July 1, 69, the legions proclaimed Vespasian emperor at Alexandria. Titus was 40 when he succeeded his father but lived only two years.

His most famous coin is a very rare bronze sestertius depicting the Colosseum. An example sold for $155k.

The Arch of Titus in Rome marks the destruction of Jerusalem.

Domitian was about 30 when he succeeded his elder brother Titus. His coinage was prolific.

La Conception and the Lost 1715 Treasure Fleet

Seafarer Exploration Corporation believes the mask may be from the 'La Conception' of the 1715 treasure fleet.

The partial remains of a rare Peruvian death mask was found on Melbourne Beach, off the coast of Florida in 2019. The mask is made mainly of copper and contains traces of gold, silver and iridium, which is usually found in meteorites. The mask was likely stolen by tomb raiders from a royal grave.

Funerary Mask, gold, silver-copper overlays, cinnabar, Lambayeque (Sicán)

On July 31, 1715 eleven of the twelve Spanish ships sailing from Havana to Spain with royal treasure were wrecked by a violent hurricane on the east coast of Florida from St. Lucie to Cape Canaveral. Seven days after departing from Havana, the ships were lost near present day Vero Beach, Florida. Around 1,500 perished

Seven of these Spanish treasure laden ships were scattered over the reefs from south of Fort Pierce to the Sebastian Inlet. Gold and silver coins started to be found on the beaches in the 1950s after strong nor'easters or a violent hurricane. This part of Florida's Atlantic east coast quickly became known as the Treasure Coast.

The Nuestra Señora de la Concepción was a 120-ton galleon. It very likely contained a significant portion of the treasure. It is believed the ship separated from the fleet the day before the storm struck. It's wreck has never been found. It's thought only a small fraction of the treasure of the lost 1715 Treasure Fleet has been recovered. Seafarer Exploration says the mask is a major link in a 'debris trail' that could pinpoint La Conception's final resting place.

1715 Fleet ships found are: 1 - Nuestra Senora de la Regla 2 - Santo Cristo de San Roman 3 - Nuestra Senora del Carmen 4 - Nuestra Señora de La Popa 5 - Nuestra Senora del Rosario 6 - Urca de Lima 7 - Nuestra Senora de las Nieves

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Ships of the 1715 Fleet never found: 8 - Maria Galante 9 - El Senor San Miguel 10 - El Cievro 11 - Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion 12 - Griffon made it safely and went on to France

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VERO BEACH — Bonnie Schubert couldn’t believe her eyes when, about 1,000 feet off Frederick Douglass Beach near Fort Pierce, she came face to face with a solid gold statue of a bird that had lain under the Atlantic Ocean over 295 years. “I remember asking myself, ‘Is this real?’” Schubert recalled as the 5.5-inch-tall statue she found was revealed to the public at her home in the Vero Shores neighborhood of Vero Beach. “The Bird,” as it’s come to be known, is real all right. So is it’s $885,000 appraised value.

Treasures of the British Museum

The British Museum in London is dedicated to human history and culture. Its permanent collection of some 8 million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence, and originates from all continents. The British Museum was established in 1753 and first opened to the public in 1759.

The Rillaton gold cup. The main body of the cup was beaten out of a single lump of gold of high purity.

The ship-burial at Sutton Hoo, dating from the early 7th century and excavated in 1939, is one of the most magnificent finds in England.

The Fishpool hoard comprises 1,237 coins, four rings, four pieces of jewellery and two lengths of chain. It was probably deposited some time between winter 1463 and summer 1464.

This Mughal gold pendant is inlaid with flat-cut rubies and emeralds and a large faceted diamond, in the pattern of a flying bird, against a leafy background of rubies.

The Middleham Jewel was found near Middleham Castle in North Yorkshire in 1985. It dates to 1400AD

Diamond and platinum clip brooch containing a carved Mughal emerald with a floral motif.

Gold locket with the hair of Queen Marie Antoinette

The Townley Venus

In 2016 a catering worker snapped the thumb off a priceless Roman statue during an event at the British Museum. The caterer smacked her head on the marble hand of the world-renowned Townley Venus statue.

The British Museum described it as an “unfortunate incident”. Museum workers managed to glue the thumb back onto the statue.

The Townley Venus is a 2.14 m (7 ft) marble statue that dates from the first or second century AD. It is adapted from a lost Greek original, dating from the fourth century BC, and depicts the goddess Venus. The statue was excavated at Ostia, a harbour city of ancient Rome in 1775.