Sign-In
Cart
The Roman Sestertius: A Collector's Guide: Color Edition
Paperback
Publisher Price: $65.00
Publisher: James K. Burns
Published: Jul 8 2026
Pages: 308
Weight: 1.26
Height: 0.80 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
A collector's guide to the large Roman coin known as the sestertius. These magnificent coins were struck for more than 250 years by the emperors of Rome. This lavishly illustrated, 300+ page book includes chapters on the history of the denomination, physical characteristics of the coins as they are today, alterations that affect value, and considerations when buying. There is even a chapter on sestertii in the movies and on television.
The bulk of the book consists of a portfolio of more than 360 fully attributed specimens, with a full-color enlarged photo of each ( 2x) and biographical sketches for every imperial personality represented. There are also lists of types issued for each person and comments about the historical or collector significance for most entries. Appendices offer keys to legends and reverse types. Available in both color and black and white, paperback and hardback.
By the author of Great Women of Imperial Rome (Routledge), The Early Coinage of Athens (Pietas), The 'Archaic Smile' and Greek Coins, Ancient Animals and Their Coins, Roman Empresses, Commodus and the Five Good Emperors, and many more.
REVIEW: Jasper Burns' The Roman Sestertius: A Collector's Guide, is a fun read. Jasper himself posted about it last month and I recommend reading his thread for a summary of its contents. It comes in a black and white edition and a color edition. I recommend the color edition -- you really want to see the patinas on the coins illustrated. Jasper covers the history of the sestertius and the sorts of factors to take into account when buying a sestertius for one's collection. He illustrates the book profusely with high-grade examples from high-end auctions and notes the prices realized. The book is helpful for those new to the hobby, to be sure, but even those collectors with decades of experience and hundreds of sestertii in their coin cabinets will enjoy the book. Roman Collector on cointalk.com
1 different editions
Also available
Also from
Burns, Jasper
Wisdom Illustrated: Quotations from Wise Men and Women about Life, Death, Virtues, Vices, and the Spiritual Path
Burns, Jasper
Paperback
Also in
Ancient Rome
The Children of Athena: Greek Intellectuals in the Age of Rome: 150 Bc0-400 AD
Freeman, Charles
Hardcover
Ancient Rome at the Cinema: Story and Spectacle in Hollywood and Rome
Theodorakopoulos, Elena
Paperback
The Apostle and the Empire: Paul's Implicit and Explicit Criticism of Rome
Heilig, Christoph
Hardcover
Love Thy Stranger: How the Teachings of Jesus Transformed the Moral Conscience of the West
Ehrman, Bart D.
Hardcover
Cicero's Tongue: The Life of Rome's Greatest Orator and the End of the Republic
Edwards, Catharine
Hardcover
Lessons from a Lost Republic: What Ancient Rome Can Teach Us about This American Moment
Berenfeld, Michelle
Hardcover
Why You Think the Way You Do: The Story of Western Worldviews from Rome to Home
Sunshine, Glenn S.
Paperback
Classical Mythology A to Z: An Encyclopedia of Gods & Goddesses, Heroes & Heroines, Nymphs, Spirits, Monsters, and Places
Giesecke, Annette
Hardcover
Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire
Strauss, Barry
Hardcover
Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire
Strauss, Barry
Paperback
The Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History (Itpe) (Itpe)
Zondervan
Paperback
Fausto & Felice Niccolini. Houses and Monuments of Pompeii. 45th Ed.
Kockel, Valentin
Schütze, Sebastian
Hardcover
Behind Caesar's Back: Rumor, Gossip, and the Making of the Roman Emperors
Davenport, Caillan
Hardcover
Rome and the Rise of the West: How the Roman Empire Shaped the Modern Economy
Terpstra, Taco
Hardcover
Escape from Pompeii: The Great Eruption of Mount Vesuvius and Its Survivors
Tuck, Steven L.
Hardcover
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: Illustrations by Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Gibbon, Edward
Hardcover
Major Works of the Stoics 3-Book Boxed Set: Meditations; Letters from a Stoic; Discourses and Selected Writings
Aurelius, Marcus
Seneca
Épictète
Hardcover
Cornelius Nepos, Life of Hannibal: Latin text, notes, maps, illustrations and vocabulary
Mulligan, Bret
Paperback
Encyclopedia of Mythology: A Collection of Greek and Roman Heroes, Gods, and Monsters with Collectible Ephemera - Includes 16 Beautifully Designed Pie
Editors of Chartwell Books
Hardcover
The Letters of the Younger Pliny, First Series
Pliny
Keil, Heinrich
Firth, John B. (John Benjamin)
Hardcover
Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans
Ryan, Garrett
Paperback
Life in Ancient Rome: Absorbing Social History--A Vivid Portrait of a Magnificent Age
Cowell, F. R.
Paperback
Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans
Ryan, Garrett
Hardcover
Strange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling
Gupta, Nijay K.
Paperback
Women's Life in Greece and Rome: A Source Book in Translation
Fant, Maureen B.
Lefkowitz, Mary R.
Paperback
Cincinnatus and the Citizen-Servant Ideal: The Roman Legend's Life, Times, and Legacy
Hillyard, Michael J.
Paperback
Meditations (Royal Collector's Edition) (Case Laminate Hardcover with Jacket)
Aurelius, Marcus
Hardcover
The Early History of Rome: Books I-V of the History of Rome from Its Foundation
Livy, Titus
Paperback
Cicero, Against Verres, 2.1.53-86: Latin Text with Introduction, Study Questions, Commentary and English Translation
Gildenhard, Ingo
Paperback
The Annals: The Reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero
Yardley, J. C.
Tacitus, Cornelius
Barrett, Anthony A.
Paperback
The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium
Strauss, Barry
Paperback