Here is what is among my favorite pieces of all, and the one that wins the title of 'Most likely to have to be pried out of my cold dead hands'. It is a gold aureus of the infamous Emperor Nero. who ruled from 54-68 AD. 

Nero actually showed great promise in his early years as emperor, under the capable tutelage of Seneca and Burrus. However, by 62 AD, Nero had completely asserted his independence, and his behavior became increasingly erratic. He fancied himself a great artist, poet, theatrical performer, and chariot racer, the latter two of which were considered well beneath the station of an Emperor. This is likely how the legend of Nero fiddling while Rome burned got its start. 

And speaking of the great fire that destroyed much of central Rome in 64 BC, he took the opportunity to build a magnificent extension of the Imperial palace, which was known as the Domus Aurea, or Golden House on some of the ruins. However, Rome would soon grew tired of his follies, and revolts broke out in several parts of the Empire, with serious uprisings in Spain and Gaul, and the proclamation of Galba as Emperor. Trouble also arose in the East, with the outbreak of the First Jewish Revolt in 68 AD. As a result, Nero fled Rome and eventually committed suicide in the early summer of 68 AD.   

A gold aureus of Nero is quite the prize, but this particular one is very special indeed. That is why I thought I simply must have it on my blog.  On August 24, 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted, destroying the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Amid the chaos that ensued with the initial eruption, one rather wealthy Roman thought to grab his valuables and try to escape the destruction. As the smoke and choking ash of the eruption turned day into night, he took refuge in a villa, where he thought he was safe. Once inside, he sat down at a table and started to count his money. But as the volcanic gases seeped in and the villa became buried in ash, he was soon overcome by the lack of breathable air...

Fast forward to Easter Sunday, 1895, at Boscoreale, an Italian village located about a mile and a half north of Pompeii. A worker in an old building that was being used as a stable paused with another worker for a drink of water. As they sat, one of them spilled his cup. To their surprise, the water didn't puddle up, but seeped quickly through the stones making up the floor in that part of the building. They pulled up a few stones, revealing the entrance to a darkened chamber. One of the men squeezed through the hole, and amidst a large assortment of silver plates and other accessories turned black from tarnish. There also lay a skeleton clutching a handful of gold coins of the Roman Empire, with a large pile of the same next to him.

 "What do you see?" asked the man above him. The worker crawled out of the hole choking and replied "There's nothing there but poison gas!", as they covered up the hole. The sneaky worker who discovered the treasure then told the owner of the property, who agreed to reward him handsomely if he would reveal to him the location of the treasure, cutting his co-worker out entirely. After rounding up the valuables and rewarding the worker, the owner subsequently transported the find to Naples, where he sold it to an antiquities dealer for a fraction of its value. The dealer then shipped it to an associate in Paris, thus evading the Italian authorities. 

Some of the gold coins, which amounted to over 300 pieces, would be sold to individuals, but the bulk of the hoard was sold to the Rothchild family of France. They would eventually donate it to the French National Museum in Paris, the Bibilotheque Nationale, where it remains to this day. 

This is one of the coins that was sold individually. It exhibits the characteristic reddish toning, especially at the peripheries on the obverse side, that identifies it as having come from the hoard. It is quite rare, and dripping with historical significance. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to acquire it. And the moral of the story? You really can't take it with you! I hope you've enjoyed this trip back in time, and the story of this most special coin.  

Here are two coins that represent one of my favorite stories from the Roman Empire. One is a silver coated bronze Antoninianus of the Emperor Carinus, and the other a bronze Follis of the Emperor Diocletian. Carinus ruled from 283-285 AD. After defeating the Germanic Quadi tribes, Carinus retired to Rome to live a life of debauchery and excess. He had nine wives, and that's not counting his original wife, who he badly neglected. At the same time, his brother, Numerian, ruled over the Eastern part of the Empire. After the death of their father, the Emperor Carus, the armies of the East demanded to return to Europe, and Numerian was forced to comply. While the Eastern armies were camped at Chalcedon, Numerian was found dead. 

Diocletian, who commanded Numerian's bodyguards, claimed he had been slain. Why he would do that is baffling, as it was as much as admitting that either he himself had killed him or that his bodyguards had done their jobs miserably. In any event, Diocletian was proclaimed emperor by his troops, and on hearing of this, Carinus marched East with his troops to confront the usurper. Carinus actually won the battle, but when one of his officers discovered that Carinus had seduced his wife, the officer murdered Carinus, and as there was no one else left to declare their alliegance to, the Western armies also swore to follow Diocletian. Thus, Diocletian became master of all the Roman world. 

This was actually one of the few times where a murderous love triangle has actually been beneficial to a government, as the Empire was nearing total collapse, and Diocletian instituted a number of much needed reforms. The most important of these recognized that the Empire was far too large for one man to govern effectively, and put into place a tetrarchical system, in which four men were responsible to rule, two in the East and two in the West. These reforms preserved the Western Empire for nearly another 200 years. The Eastern Empire amazingly lasted for nearly another 1,200 years, until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. 

All because Carinus couldn't keep it in his pants.