Augustus Coins: A Collector’s Guide to Rome’s First Emperor
Augustus Coins: A Collector's Guide to Rome's First Emperor
27 BC to AD 14, the coinage that built the Roman Principate.
Augustus ruled from 27 BC to AD 14 and created the political system historians call the Roman Principate. His coinage documents the transition from civil war and the late Republic to a durable imperial monarchy, making Augustus one of the richest collecting subjects in Roman numismatics.
Born Gaius Octavius, he became Julius Caesar's posthumously adopted son and heir. Modern historians usually call him Octavian before the Senate granted him the honorific Augustus in 27 BC.
Why Are Augustus Coins Important?
Augustus used coins to communicate victory, peace, religion, family succession, military authority, and the legitimacy of the new regime. He did not invent Roman political messaging on coins, but his long reign used it with exceptional range. His coinage also spans multiple monetary traditions: Roman denarii and aurei, large and small bronzes, cistophori in Asia Minor, and extensive provincial issues with Greek and other local legends.
The Most Famous Augustus Coin Types
Augustus's coinage carried a carefully constructed political program. A handful of types are both historically central and recognizable to collectors today.
- Gaius and Lucius denarius, Augustus on the obverse and his adopted heirs with shields and spears on the reverse, a direct dynastic statement surviving in enough numbers to be a major collecting type
- CAESAR DIVI F and Divus Julius types, emphasizing his relationship to the deified Julius Caesar, DIVI F meaning "son of the deified one," turning ancestry into political legitimacy
- The comet or star of Divus Julius, the sign interpreted as Caesar's divine status, powerful evidence for how that claim was presented
- AEGVPTO CAPTA, "Egypt captured," commemorating the victory over Antony and Cleopatra and the annexation of Egypt after Alexandria fell in 30 BC
- Cistophori, large silver coins for the monetary system of Roman Asia, with temples, standards, Capricorn, and other imperial imagery, a regional tradition rather than the ordinary denarius system
The famous comet seen during games held for Caesar in 44 BC was interpreted by Octavian's supporters as a sign of Caesar's divine status. The surviving coinage is powerful evidence for how that claim was presented, but the astronomical event and its political interpretation should not be treated as the same thing.
Did Augustus Put His Portrait on Every Coin?
No. Augustan coinage is extremely varied. Some issues show Augustus, while others emphasize heirs, deities, buildings, symbols, magistrates, or civic imagery. Provincial coinages can look especially different from Rome-mint issues. That variety is part of what makes the reign useful for collectors: you can study the development of imperial portraiture without assuming that every coin followed one centralized visual formula.
Collectors encounter sestertii, dupondii, asses, semisses, quadrantes, and provincial bronzes, but attribution requires care. Some central Roman bronzes name or portray moneyers and members of the imperial family rather than placing Augustus's portrait on every denomination.
The Provincial Coinage of Augustus
Provincial coinage shows how communities across the Mediterranean participated in the new imperial order. Greek legends, local gods, temples, civic titles, and portraits of Augustus and his family appear in forms that differ from Rome-mint coinage. Provincial bronzes from Spain, Asia Minor, the Levant, and other regions can provide more affordable routes into Augustan coinage, although price varies sharply by city, type, condition, and rarity.
Roman Judaea is one of those provincial traditions. Small bronze prutot were struck under Roman authority during Augustus's reign, the everyday coinage of the Levant in his era, and one of the most accessible ways to own genuine bronze from the reign of Rome's first emperor.
Roman Egypt deserves special care: Augustus's Alexandrian coinage belongs to Egypt's distinct closed monetary system. It should not be treated as interchangeable with Levantine, Asian, or other eastern provincial issues.
How Should a Beginner Collect Augustus?
Suetonius reports that Augustus sometimes gave old royal and foreign coins as gifts during festivals, intriguing evidence that unusual old coins could be valued as curiosities, though it does not prove Augustus maintained a systematic collection in the modern numismatic sense.
- Start with one clearly attributed type, a common denarius or provincial bronze is easier to study than trying to collect the entire reign
- Choose a historical theme, civil war, Divus Julius, succession, Egypt, religion, or provincial coinage can each become a focused collection
- Read the legends, Augustus's changing titles can help date issues and explain their political context
- Separate Octavian from Augustus, coins struck before 27 BC belong to a different political stage of his career even when modern collectors group them together
Augustus's coins let collectors follow Rome from Caesar's assassination and civil war into the political system that shaped the next several centuries. It is one of the richest and most rewarding collecting subjects in all of Roman numismatics.
Hold what the greats held.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Augustus the first Roman emperor?
Historians conventionally call him the first Roman emperor, although Rome did not create a single constitutional office called "emperor" in 27 BC. Augustus built a monarchical system from republican offices, military command, honors, and personal authority.
Are Augustus coins rare?
Not as a category. His long career produced extensive coinage, but individual types range from obtainable to exceptionally rare and expensive.
What is a good first Augustus coin?
A clearly attributed provincial bronze or a common denarius can be a practical starting point. Buy for authenticity, legibility, surfaces, and historical interest rather than chasing rarity first.
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