Featured: The Middle Age Coin Game – My Journey Through Centuries of Numismatics
July 2, 2025My Athenian Owl Adventure: I’ve Finally Joined the Club
July 2, 2025
You know those moments when you’re admiring your coins and inspiration strikes? That’s exactly what happened as I looked over my Roman Imperials: why not match the Twelve Caesars to the twelve months for a personalized calendar? It felt like a perfect blend of history, collecting, and creativity – a unique gift idea for loved ones. As I got started, I found it wasn’t just straightforward fun; it brought up some interesting challenges any collector might recognize.
The Idea Takes Shape
It clicked because of that neat symmetry—twelve rulers, twelve months. I sketched out a basic layout, pairing each coin with a month and adding a snippet about the emperor and a simple coin description, like ‘laureate head of Augustus’ or ‘reverse showing an eagle’. This wasn’t just about making something pretty; it was a chance to share my passion in a way that might spark an interest in others. My goal? To create calendars for 2026, turning coins into meaningful gifts.
Hitting a Few Bumps
Planning this brought some hurdles, as collecting often does. First, like many collectors, I don’t have a full set yet – missing Tiberius, Claudius, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Titus means I’ll need to hunt down affordable examples at shows or auctions, or maybe find substitutes. Then there was the order debate. Chronologically, Julius Caesar lands in January, but that felt predictable. Would placing him in March for the Ides be too cheeky? I even toyed with a ‘coin-a-day’ photo calendar, but quickly realized my best pieces wouldn’t last 365 days! It reinforced that old collecting wisdom: quality over quantity.
Playing with History
To make it more engaging, I thought about matching emperors to their key months. Julius in March (for his assassination), Augustus in August (his namesake month) – it adds personality without sacrificing facts. I kept descriptions simple though, remembering most folks receiving this aren’t coin experts. Looking into the emperors’ attempts to rename months was fascinating:
- July comes from Julius Caesar (replacing Quintilis), and August honors Augustus (taking over Sextilis).
- Others tried: Caligula wanted September as Germanicus, Nero fiddled with April, May, and June – changes that usually flopped and were quickly forgotten.
- While sticking to chronology might be safest, these quirky historical footnotes are perfect little additions for the calendar notes.
Tips from the Trenches
If you try this yourself, here’s what I learned: Aim for coins in VF or better grades so the details photograph clearly – legends and portraits need to be readable. Keep descriptions straightforward (‘silver denarius showing Nero facing right’). Missing a Caesar? Reproductions are an option, or focus on more common emperors like Nero or Vespasian, who pop up more often and can be kinder on the budget. Test your layout digitally first to save on printing costs. This project truly made me appreciate the stories behind each coin even more. It’s a wonderfully rewarding way to engage with your collection.
