Ancient Coin Value Guide — Book IV: The Julio-Claudian Dynasty

Kinzer Ancient Coin Value Guide · Section 4 · Book IV

Prepared by Kinzer Coins · First Edition · Market review: September 2026

Ancient Coin Value Guide Book IV
The Julio-Claudian Dynasty

27 BC–AD 68. Augustus through Nero, with major family-member markets included where collectors actually search for them. Certified/slabbed, current fixed-price retail, and raw auction evidence remain separate.

View Book IV Market Cards Download First Edition PDF

Quick answers

Julio-Claudian Coin Values, Explained Clearly

What is an Augustus coin worth?
There is no useful single Augustus price. Common succession denarii, iconic silver, bronze, sestertii, and aurei occupy different markets.
What is the Tiberius Tribute Penny worth?
The traditional Tribute Penny is a broad collector market, but certified grade, surfaces, centering, and exact emission can move the price substantially.
Why is Nero priced by type?
Nero’s Salus denarii, Janus bronzes, triumphal-arch sestertii, Port of Ostia sestertii, and aurei do not trade as one interchangeable market.
Why are some family-member issues expensive?
Britannicus, Agrippina, Germanicus, and other family-member coins can be scarce and specimen-sensitive, so thin markets use exact comparables.
How the guide works

Market evidence in a fixed order

Book IV follows the same series methodology as Books I–III while requiring tighter type-family separation for Julio-Claudian silver, bronze, and gold.

1. Certified / slabbed market first
Grade-specific certified observations are treated as their own evidence set and compared like-for-like wherever the market supports it.
2. Fixed-price retail second
Active dealer asks show what a collector can buy now. Sold dealer listings remain historical context rather than current retail evidence.
3. Buyer-inclusive raw auction third
Auction acquisition cost uses hammer plus the mandatory buyer premium for that exact sale. No blanket premium is applied.
4. Type families and thin markets stay separate
Recognizable reverse families, prestige bronzes, dynastic issues, aurei, and very thin markets are not collapsed into misleading ruler-wide averages.
Practical collector reference

Book IV Market Cards

These cards use the same Book I collector-price-guide hierarchy. Book IV keeps the public quality definitions Entry-Level, Typical Collector, and Choice, but its final edition does not manufacture numeric raw-auction tier ladders where the type-specific evidence does not support them. Those cards therefore show observed or exact auction evidence instead.

Augustus
Gaius & Lucius denarius
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
Choice Fine$671
Choice VF$732
Choice XF$1,342
Fixed-Price Retail
Live VF ask ~$417
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Median ~$308
Market note: Broad. The most repeatable mainstream Augustus silver benchmark.
Augustus
Capricorn denarius · RIC 126
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
XF~$750–$1,950; elite AU Star materially higher
Fixed-Price Retail
Live ask ~$325
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Ordinary market center in the upper hundreds
Market note: Moderate. Iconic reverse demand makes this more type-driven than ordinary succession silver.
Augustus
Lugdunum altar as · RIC 230
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
No reliable exact-type certified pricing locked
Fixed-Price Retail
Ordinary asks ~$93–$250
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Median ~$162
Market note: Practical ordinary bronze market; surfaces, centering, and countermarks can move value.
Augustus
Representative aureus · RIC 198
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
Choice VFreported ~$6,500
Fixed-Price Retail
No current comparable active retail found
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Raw anchor ~$9,152
Market note: Thin prestige market. Treat exact reverse, quality, and provenance separately.
Marcus Agrippa
Neptune as · RIC 58
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
VF~$317
XF~$439
AU~$1,952
Fixed-Price Retail
Active ordinary asks ~$159–$204
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Median ~$300 · middle 50% ~$270–$660
Market note: Broad. The principal and most useful Agrippa collector market.
Livia / Julia Augusta
Virtue portrait dupondii · RIC 46/47
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
No stable exact-grade ladder
Fixed-Price Retail
No dependable active same-type sample locked
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Wide dispersion; exact personification and surfaces control
Market note: Moderate overall, thin by exact personification. Do not blend Iustitia and Salus blindly.
Gaius & Lucius Caesars
Gaius Caesar horseback denarius · RIC 199
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
NGC VF $671
Fixed-Price Retail
No dependable active same-type listing locked
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Ordinary buyer-inclusive anchors ~$240–$674
Market note: Thin and condition-sensitive; exceptional EF pieces sit far above the ordinary population.
Tiberius
Tribute Penny denarius · RIC 26/28/30
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
Choice XF~$1,098–$1,586
Fixed-Price Retail
Active raw asks ~$590–$795; selected EF higher
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Ordinary buyer-inclusive center ~$540 · range roughly ~$360–$900
Market note: Broad. Grade, surfaces, centering, and exact emission materially affect value.
Tiberius
Late rudder / globe as · RIC 52/58/64
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
No reliable exact-grade schedule locked
Fixed-Price Retail
Recent asks roughly low hundreds to ~$500
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
CNG VF RIC 64 problem example ~$270 buyer-inclusive
Market note: Representative common bronze market; surface quality matters more than a ruler-wide bronze average.
Tiberius
Tribute-type aureus · RIC 25/27/29
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
Choice Fine$5,124
VF~$5,612–$8,235
AU Star$21,960
MS Star$36,600
Fixed-Price Retail
Active near-VF RIC 29 ask ~$5,975
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Recent Good VF anchors roughly ~$7,850–$9,188 buyer-inclusive
Market note: Prestige gold market. Exact emission, grade, style, and provenance dominate.
Drusus the Younger
Portrait as · RIC 45
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
No dependable exact-grade slab ladder
Fixed-Price Retail
Active Good Fine ask ~$380
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Recent buyer-inclusive anchors ~$168–$540
Market note: The practical direct-portrait Drusus market; keep separate from the dynastic sestertius.
Germanicus
Claudius posthumous as · RIC 106
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
No stable exact-grade slab ladder
Fixed-Price Retail
Active asks ~$136 ordinary to ~$1,500 Fine Style
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Recent VF buyer-inclusive anchors ~$204–$300
Market note: Recurring posthumous portrait bronze; style and surface work create unusually wide retail dispersion.
Agrippina the Elder
Claudius portrait sestertius · RIC 102
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
NGC Choice VF ~$1,342
Fixed-Price Retail
Active exact-type ask ~$795
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
CNG Near EF ~$1,715 buyer-inclusive
Market note: Type-specific bronze market; high-grade and exceptional portrait pieces can move materially higher.
Caligula
Vesta as · RIC 38
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
Fine$480–$630
Choice AU$2,040
Fixed-Price Retail
No dependable active same-type ask locked
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Ordinary VF/problem anchors ~$330–$600 buyer-inclusive
Market note: Broad entry market for Caligula. Patina, smoothing/tooling, and portrait quality matter greatly.
Caligula
Three Sisters sestertius · RIC 33
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
NGC VG ~$1,037
Fixed-Price Retail
No active same-type retail locked
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Good Fine ~$1,960 · VF ~$6,738 buyer-inclusive
Market note: Thin prestige bronze. Do not generalize its prices to ordinary Caligula bronzes.
Caligula
Divus Augustus denarius · RIC 2/16
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
Choice VF~$7,000
Fixed-Price Retail
No dependable active exact-type listing locked
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
EF RIC 16 $19,000 hammer; ~$23,275 buyer-inclusive where exact fee applies
Market note: Very thin silver market. Exact type, centering, portrait style, and provenance control.
Claudius
Minerva as · RIC 100/116
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
NGC AU RIC 116 ~$1,464
Fixed-Price Retail
Active RIC 100 asks ~$139–$249
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Recent VF/Good VF buyer-inclusive ~$270–$390
Market note: Broad practical Claudius bronze benchmark.
Claudius
Spes sestertius · RIC 99/115
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
NGC Fine RIC 99 ~$320; Choice VF branch-mint ~$260
Fixed-Price Retail
Recent comparable ask evidence around ~$251
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Near VF ~$270 buyer-inclusive; stronger examples materially higher
Market note: Moderate, condition-sensitive large bronze market.
Claudius
Pax-Nemesis denarius · RIC 39/47/58
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
NGC Choice VF RIC 47 ~$6,000 · VG RIC 58 ~$975
Fixed-Price Retail
No dependable active exact-type ask locked
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
2026 RIC 39 results range from ~€2,100 to elite €16,000 hammer
Market note: Thin silver market. Keep exact reverse and grade visible rather than publishing a generic Claudius denarius value.
Antonia
Portrait dupondius · RIC 92/104
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
Historical NGC XF RIC 92 ~$660; no deep current ladder
Fixed-Price Retail
Active Fine RIC 92 about €125 / ~$145
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
2026 results from ~$110 hammer to much stronger pedigreed examples
Market note: Moderate. The most accessible imperial Antonia market.
Agrippina the Younger
Claudius & Agrippina denarius · RIC 81
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
NGC VF about $3,300
Fixed-Price Retail
No dependable active exact-type listing locked
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Near VF $3,750 hammer; possible BI ~$4,594–$4,688 when winning channel is unknown
Market note: Thin dynastic silver market; preserve hammer/possible-BI range when the CNG channel is unresolved.
Britannicus
Britannicus / Mars sestertius
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
No dependable current exact-type certified ladder
Fixed-Price Retail
No active professional-dealer ask locked
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Good Fine $3,750 hammer; possible BI ~$4,594–$4,688
Market note: Very thin. Exact comparables only; portrait direction, surfaces, smoothing/tooling, and attribution matter.
Nero
Salus denarius · RIC 60
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
Fine$780
AU$2,160
Fixed-Price Retail
Active asks ~$389–$795
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
Good Fine ~$420–$570 buyer-inclusive
Market note: Broad, repeatable Nero silver benchmark; certified pricing remains strongly grade-sensitive.
Nero
Port of Ostia sestertius · RIC 178/181
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
Selected VF/Fine Style pieces can approach five figures
Fixed-Price Retail
No dependable current active benchmark locked
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
VF, smoothed/tooled: $6,000 hammer; possible BI ~$7,350–$7,500
Market note: Thin prestige architectural bronze. Exact surfaces, style, pedigree, and mint matter.
Nero
Representative aurei · RIC 52/61/66
Collector Price Guide
Certified Grade Evidence
RIC 52 VF/Choice VF ~$6,710–$7,625 · RIC 66 XF $10,675
Fixed-Price Retail
No dependable active exact-type range locked
Current asking-price evidence; kept separate from auction and certified markets.
Raw Auction
2026 Salus/Jupiter results roughly $3,500–$7,800
Market note: Type-specific gold market; exact reverse and condition dominate, so no generic Nero aureus average.

September 2026 market snapshot. Certified, retail, and auction evidence remain separate. Thin or specimen-specific markets use exact comparables rather than forced ranges.

Recognizable collector markets

Julio-Claudian Coin Types & Value Questions

The website focuses on the coin families collectors actually encounter. Minor bust, legend, die, and RIC variants stay in the full book unless they repeatedly create an independent market.

Augustus succession silver
Gaius & Lucius denarii provide the broadest mainstream silver benchmark, while Capricorn and other historically important reverses remain separate when demand supports it.
Tiberius Tribute Penny
The famous seated-figure denarius is the essential Tiberian silver market, but exact emission, surfaces, centering, and grade still matter.
Caligula portrait and prestige bronze
The Vesta as is the practical entry market; Three Sisters and other large bronzes belong to scarcer, strongly type-driven populations.
Claudius ordinary and prestige bronze
Minerva asses and Spes sestertii provide repeatable collector markets, while architectural and precious-metal issues require tighter comparison.
Nero silver and architectural bronze
Salus denarii and Temple of Janus asses are broad benchmarks; Port of Ostia and other major architectural bronzes remain separate prestige markets.
Dynastic family-member issues
Germanicus, the Agrippinas, Antonia, Britannicus, and other family members are priced where a distinct imperial collector market genuinely exists.
Book IV directory

Fourteen ruler & family chapters

Chapter 1
Augustus
Chapter 2
Marcus Agrippa
Chapter 3
Livia / Julia Augusta
Chapter 4
Gaius & Lucius Caesars
Chapter 5
Tiberius
Chapter 6
Drusus the Younger
Chapter 7
Germanicus
Chapter 8
Agrippina the Elder
Chapter 9
Caligula
Chapter 10
Claudius
Chapter 11
Antonia
Chapter 12
Agrippina the Younger
Chapter 13
Britannicus
Chapter 14
Nero
Research notes

How Book IV Was Researched

Prepared by Kinzer Coins as a dated collector-market reference. Book IV separates evidence classes, prices recognizable type families instead of ruler-wide averages, preserves thin and specimen-specific markets, and excludes provincial and colonial coinage from the headline imperial pricing set.

Certified market
Grade-specific slabbed observations remain separate from raw coins, with strike, surfaces, style, and qualifiers preserved where they materially affect value.
Current dealer retail
Only active fixed-price asking prices belong in the current retail snapshot. Sold dealer listings are historical context only.
Buyer-inclusive auctions
Hammer plus the verified mandatory buyer premium for that exact sale. Where the winning bidding channel is unknown, hammer or a possible buyer-inclusive range is preserved.
Historical currency conversion
Foreign sales are normalized with historical exchange rates when a U.S.-dollar comparison is needed; payment and conversion fees are excluded.
Thin-market discipline
Very thin and extremely thin markets use exact comparables rather than manufactured Entry / Typical / Choice ranges.
Scope control
Provincial and colonial issues remain outside Book IV even when they are famous or widely collected. Exact imperial type family comes first.

Market evidence is a dated September 2026 snapshot, not a guarantee of future value. Ancient coins remain specimen-specific.

Questions collectors ask

Book IV FAQ

What is an Augustus coin worth?
There is no useful single Augustus price. Succession denarii, iconic silver types, ordinary bronzes, lifetime sestertii, and aurei occupy different collector markets.
What is a Tiberius Tribute Penny worth?
The Tribute Penny is a broad collector market, but exact emission, grade, surfaces, centering, certification, and provenance can materially change value.
Why are Caligula, Claudius, and Nero split by type?
Their ordinary portrait bronzes, silver, architectural sestertii, dynastic issues, and gold do not trade as interchangeable ruler-wide markets.
Why are certified coins shown first?
Certification narrows the comparison by grade and attribution. Book IV therefore keeps slabbed evidence separate from raw retail and raw auction observations.
How are auction values calculated?
Headline acquisition cost uses hammer plus the verified mandatory buyer premium for that exact sale. A blanket premium is never applied across auction houses.
What happens when the market is too thin?
The guide uses named exact comparables and specimen-level notes rather than forcing a clean range that the evidence does not support.
The series

Continue the Kinzer Ancient Coin Value Guide

Books I–IV are now published. Book V will continue with the Flavian dynasty.

Series Hub Book III View Book IV Market Cards Download Book IV PDF
Coming Next · Section 5

Book V: The Flavian Dynasty

AD 69–96. Vespasian, Titus, Domitian, and the Flavian family will be the next volume in the series.

Get notified when Book V: The Flavian Dynasty is published. You’ll join the Kinzer Coins email list and can unsubscribe at any time.

Market evidence is a dated research snapshot, not a guarantee of future value. Ancient coins remain specimen-specific, and authenticity, grade, strike, surfaces, rarity, provenance, venue, and collector demand can materially affect price.

Ancient Coin Denominations — Simple Guide for Beginners

(Roman & Greek Coins Explained in Plain English)

Ancient coins often come with unfamiliar terms like AE3, Denarius, or Tetradrachm. These names are modern classification tools used by collectors and scholars today. Ancient people themselves did not shop using these labels the way we do now.

Here’s what they mean — simply.

Roman Bronze Coins (AE1–AE4)

AE comes from the Latin aes, meaning bronze.
The numbers 1–4 describe size only, not value.

  • AE1 – Large bronze coin
    Thick, impressive late Roman coins. Less common.
  • AE2 – Medium-large bronze coin
    Popular Constantinian and Late Roman issues.
  • AE3 – Medium bronze coin
    One of the most common ancient Roman coins.
    Excellent for beginners.
  • AE4 – Small bronze coin
    Late Roman issues. Smaller but fully authentic.

Important:
AE numbers are modern size categories, not ancient denominations.

Roman Silver Coins

  • Denarius
    The most famous Roman silver coin.
    Used for everyday transactions for centuries.
    When people imagine a “Roman silver coin,” this is usually it.
  • Antoninianus
    Introduced in the 3rd century AD.
    Originally silver, later silver-alloy or bronze.
    Often shows the emperor wearing a radiate crown.

You may see ANT used as shorthand.
This is a catalog abbreviation, not an ancient name.

Greek Silver Coin Denominations

(Based on Weight, Not “Face Value”)

Greek coins are named by weight, not by purchasing power.

  • Tetradrachm – Large silver coin
    The most famous Greek silver coin.
    Heavy, impressive, and widely used in trade.
  • Drachm – Medium silver coin
    Standard everyday silver coin in many Greek regions.
  • Didrachm – Double drachm
    Larger than a drachm, smaller than a tetradrachm.
  • Obol – Small silver coin
    Fractional coin used for smaller transactions.
  • Hemiobol / Tetrobol
    Very small fractional silver coins.

These names describe weight relationships, not spending power.

Why You Won’t See These Terms in Our Titles

At Kinzer Coins, we prioritize clarity and trust.

You’ll see titles like:

  • Ancient Roman Bronze Coin of Emperor Constantine I
  • Ancient Greek Silver Coin from Athens

Instead of:

  • AE3 Reduced Follis
  • AR Tetradrachm
  • ANT Rome Mint

All technical details — AE size, denomination, metal, and weight — are clearly listed in the Specifications section.

The Most Important Thing to Remember

Every ancient coin we offer is:

  • Authentic
  • Individually unique
  • Historically significant
  • A real object from the ancient world

You don’t need to understand every denomination to start collecting.

You’re not buying a label.
You’re holding history.