My Journey Crafting a Calendar with the Twelve Caesars Coins

It struck me while flipping through my Roman coins one afternoon: why not match each of the twelve Caesars to a month of the year? The calendar project practically designed itself—showcasing one emperor’s coin monthly alongside quick historical notes and straightforward coin descriptions. A perfect blend of hobby and creativity that makes for surprisingly great gifts. Here’s how my experiment unfolded, with some hard-won lessons from the process.

Getting Started

My initial sketch kept things simple: one coin per month paired with the ruler’s story and a plain-English breakdown of the coin’s imagery. Take Julius Caesar’s denarius—I described it as “silver with his profile, minted during Rome’s civil wars to cement his authority.” This approach keeps it welcoming for non-collectors. Once I mocked up a digital version, I was completely hooked. It’s amazing how much history these little metal discs can carry when you let them speak.

Solving the Month Puzzle

The real head-scratcher was assigning emperors to months. Chronological order seemed obvious until I realized it dumped Julius Caesar in January instead of July—absurd for his namesake month! After rummaging through historical sources, I embraced the actual month renamings:

• Julius Caesar landed in July (formerly Quintilis, renamed after his assassination)
• Augustus naturally took August (Sextilis before his honor)
• I skipped vanity renamings like Caligula’s “Germanicus” for September—too obscure and short-lived

For the remaining nine, I briefly toyed with birth months or key events but stuck with standard months for clarity. While Latin names would’ve pleased purists, they’d likely confuse most calendar users. Sometimes practicality beats perfection!

Tips from My Collection

Let’s face it—few of us own all twelve Caesars (I’m still hunting Tiberius and Claudius!). Here’s what I learned:

• Finding Coins: Start with affordable bronzes or worn denarii. For rarer emperors like Galba, set auction alerts with trusted dealers—but expect steeper prices. Augustus coins flow like Tiber water while Vitellius requires patience.
• Display Quality: Target VF (Very Fine) grades minimum for clear photos. Good lighting transforms even modest coins. If you’re doing a “coin-a-day” spin-off, cluster similar reverses to maintain interest.
• Writing Descriptions: Keep it vivid but simple: “reverse shows Victory holding a wreath” works better than catalog details. Bonus points for quirky facts—like how July and August stole days from February!

This project reminded me why we collect—not just for rarity, but for the tangible connection to people who walked the Forum.

Final Thoughts

Building this calendar became a labor of love—equal parts numismatics and creative joy. My 2026 gift list is already covered! To fellow collectors: our coins aren’t just metal waiting for grading. They’re frozen moments of ambition, power, and human drama. If you try this, embrace the imperfections. You might just rediscover why you started collecting in the first place.