Crafting a Calendar with My Twelve Caesars Coins: A Numismatic Journey

Lately, I’ve been thinking about a fun way to display my Twelve Caesars coins, when it suddenly clicked—why not make them into a personal calendar? With twelve emperors for twelve months, it felt like the perfect 2026 project, mixing history, coin collecting, and a dash of gift-giving charm.

Where the Idea Took Root

I began imagining how to bring this to life. The concept’s straightforward: match each coin to a month, add a snippet about the emperor, and describe the coin in plain terms. Things like ‘obverse’ or ‘denarius’ need simple explanations so anyone can enjoy it. When I sketched a rough layout, I got genuinely excited—this could be my favorite way yet to share this hobby with loved ones.

Bumps Along the Road

As I worked through it, some challenges popped up. First, my collection has gaps—I’m still hunting for Tiberius, Claudius, and those tricky Year of Four Emperors coins. That means trading with collector friends or searching for budget-friendly pieces, which reminds me: good photos need coins with sharp details and minimal wear. Then came the order dilemma. While Julius Caesar logically belongs in January, part of me wants him in March for that Ides of March wink. Balancing historical accuracy with playful touches matters, especially since most folks seeing this calendar won’t be numismatists.

Playing with History

To make things more interesting, I considered tossing strict chronology aside. For instance:

• Pair emperors with their birth or death months for unexpected connections
• Honor the original month renamings—July for Julius Caesar and August for Augustus, since those stuck after their deaths. Others like Caligula tried renaming months after themselves too, but those changes flopped fast when people refused to use them.
• Use Latin month names for flavor, though I’ll keep explanations light so it doesn’t overwhelm.

This lets the calendar highlight history’s funny little footnotes, like how emperor vanity often crashed against public opinion.

Making It Real

Here’s my action plan based on trial runs:

• Snap crisp coin photos—natural light and plain backgrounds make inscriptions pop
• Write tight descriptions: one paragraph on the ruler’s story, another on coin features (using ‘bust’ instead of ‘head’ helps)
• Consider a desk calendar format for daily features, though I’d need to raid my duplicate coins for all 365 days
• For gifts, spring for professional printing with clean designs that welcome newcomers to coins

This whole adventure reminds me why I love collecting—it’s not just about metal, but about connecting stories across centuries. I’m itching to finish mine and would love to see what you create with your collection!