As I reach the end of the various Roman Emperors I can add to my collection (The guys in the 400s are very tough.), I realized that I did not have an example of each denomination of Roman coin, at least for the first 3 centuries. So here goes. The aureus was the classic Roman gold coin. This one was issued by Antoninus Pius, who also happens to be the most common aureus gold coin. The denarius is an easy one. Here is a denarius issued by Marcus Aurelius. There were 25 denarii to the aureus. The sestertius was the large bronze or copper coin of Rome. Its large size allowed the coiner to make the most of his are. Oddly enough, most Romans established prices using the sestertius, not the denarius. Four sestertii equalled one denarius. Here is a sestertius issued by the Roman Senate for Trajan. The dupontius was the next denomination. Eight dupontii were equal to one denarius. This dupontius was issued for one of the bad, and ultimately insane emperors, Commoddus. The lowest denomination in the Roman "good times" was the as. There were 16 ases to the denarius. This one was issued for Claudius. I am sure that many of the more expert collectors here will be able to add more "meat." to this post.
Neat! That's a handsome dupondius. With a semis and a quadrans, the 12 Caesars period will be complete. Those were the lowest denominations.
Quadrans, worth 1/64th of a denarius: DOMITIAN, AD 81-96 AE Quadrans (17.62mm, 2.58g, 6h) Struck AD 84/5. Rome mint Obverse: African rhinoceros, head down, charging left Reverse: IMP DOMIT AVG GERM around large S C References: OCRE II 250, RCV 2835 A choice specimen, perfectly centered and well-struck from artistic dies. This type recalls a rhinoceros which fought in the Colosseum during Domitian's reign; these coins were likely distributed as largesse to the crowds in attendance on that occasion. Quinarius, worth 1/2 of a denarius: AUGUSTUS, 27 BC - AD 14 AR Quinarius (16.11mm, 1.76g, 4h) Struck 25-23 BC. Emerita Augusta mint Obverse: AVGVST, bare head of Augustus right Reverse: P CARISI LEG, Victory standing right, crowning trophy References: RIC I 1a, RCV 1642 Attractive dark cabinet toning with a particularly fine portrait. "The colony of Emerita Augusta (modern Mérida) was founded in 25 BC by P. Carisius, governor of Lusitania, for veterans of legions V Alauda and X Gemina who had recently participated in Augustus' campaigns in north-western Spain." - David R. Sear, Roman Coins and Their Values, Vol. I (p. 324.)
There are a few other early-ish Imperial denominations. I'll let someone else share. One middle-RIC denomination that's easy to cross off the list is the "Antoninianus" (unless you try to work out all the different sub-denominations over time, which require a bit of specialization just to become familiar with). First struck under Caracalla as nominally a "double-denarius," but really only about 1.5X the silver. (If I'm remembering that correctly.) A couple of mine: Caracalla RIC 218a, c. 216. 4.65g. Caracalla RIC 312B, c. 213-217 CE. 4.9g. Don't worry, I got the PVC residue off this one's portrait: My favorite example of this denomination, struck 30 years later, for Rome's 1000th Anniversary and the Ludi Saeculares (Secular Games). After owning it for ~10 years I finally realized it was a Sear "plate coin" in Roman Coins and Their Values, v. 3. Philip I RIC 25b, 249 CE. 3.56g. Mid/late 3rd century is when the denominations start getting much more complicated. Around Aurelian to Diocletian, I guess. Then even more so, from the Tetrarchy on, with all the various Folles, reduced Folles, AE2s, AE3s, and AE4s. One thing I liked about CNG's sales of the Paul DiMarzio London mint collection was that they specified how the Constantinian Follis was changing in number-to-the pound or solidus every few years, give or take. (I'm sure the Cloke-Toone volume does the same, but I don't have it yet.)
Yes, LMCC (The London Mint of Constantius and Constantine.) does that. There is a new edition coming out soon, so wait to buy it. I have a London mint page with the number to the pound for the Constantine issues. https://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/London/
