This is the other Ex Andrew McCabe Collection coin that I picked up in the Roma 5 auction. I admit I know very little about Roman Republicans in general and even less about these bronze issues, but I thought it was an interesting piece and at close to 25g it's also a nice chunk of coin with a pretty patina. These Republican bronzes are definitely something that I'll be wanting to do more reading up on. In the meantime, I'm left wondering why he decided to sell all these wonderful coins of his. ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous Staff and Club series Æ Semis (24.5g, 33mm) Etruria, 208 BC. Crawford 106/5. O: Laureate head of Saturn right, S behind. R: Prow right, S and staff above, ROMA below. Ex Andrew McCabe Collection
Hey, I've got that coin, but in a smaller size. I'm guessing Andrew McCabe upgraded and sold off duplicates? Nice provenance to have, and a very nice specimen!
Holy, Z => that's a very cool lookin' new Semis ya gots thar!! ... and my oh my ... => Æ Semis (24.5g, 33mm) => man, dats a big baby!! ... I have an AE Semis that it only a mere (6.0g, 21mm) ... Wow, somebody already mentioned this in an earlier thread (it may have been Doug?) => those Semis sure did range in size, eh? Roman Republic Post Reform Æ Semis (Anonymous) Circa 88 BC (?) Rome mint Diameter: 21mm Weight: 5.96 grams Obverse: Laureate head of Jupiter right; S (mark of value) behind Reverse: Prow of galley right; S (mark of value) above; to right, dolphin downward, ROMA in exergue Reference: Crawford –; Sydenham –; BMCRR II, p. 589, 10 Other: 2h, dark green patina
Yeah, mine's only 6g as well. Is it fair to assume the larger ones are older, and they shrunk over time due to inflation? Or are there other reasons for the variance?
I have a couple of Andrew McCabe coins. It's only a guess, but he's probably upgrading maybe? I've been watching for some time now for a coin like this in good enough shape at a reasonable price, but to no avail. Congrats.
They really just got smaller and lighter. Here is Andrew McCabe's notes for this coin : "A heavy staff Semis, weighing 24.5 grams on a large flan, the size of an As; this is probably associated with the post-semilibral coinage, struck in the earliest campaigns in Etruria." By this time (208 BC) the typical as would have weighed no more than 41g. From the wiki entry on the libral standard : "The libral standard began with the era of the aes grave (heavy bronze) coinage in Rome, circa 450 BC, where one as weighed one Roman pound (libra), or twelve Roman ounces (unciae). The libral standard began with the era of the aes grave (heavy bronze) coinage in Rome, circa 450 BC, where one as weighed one Roman pound (libra), or twelve Roman ounces (unciae). This changed when the weight of the aes grave was decreased to approximately 10 unciae (the "light libral standard") circa 270 BC, remaining at that level until 225 BC. It then suddenly fell to 5 unciae (the "semi-libral standard") around the start of the second Punic war in 218 BC, before finally falling to 1.5 - 1 unciae around 211 BC" I'm not sure how accurate the above info from wiki is, but if we follow that, then : Libral standard 450 BC - 270 BC : 1 as ~ 12 unciae (328.9g) Light libral standard 270 BC - 225 BC : 1 as ~ 10 unciae (274g) Semi-libral standard 225 BC - 211 BC : 1 as ~ 5 unciae (137g) After 211 BC : 1 as ~ 1.5 - 1 unciae (41.1g - 27.4g) After 211 BC, the weight of the as woud continue to decline with the introduction of the sextanal standard and the triental standard.
I'm sure some of it had to do with inflation, but the movement from the heavy to the light libral standard may also have had to do with practicality. It's just easier to carry around smaller coins.
Post 'em! There were many dozen McCabe coins being sold in Roma 4 and Roma 5. I read a message he posted on a list where he remarked on the rarity or special numismatic interest of some coins he was selling and at some point he said, "I don't even know why I'm selling these coins" (or something to that effect). Whatever the reason, I'm glad he sold them.
I'm fairly certain the introduction of the denarius in 211 BC weighing a pouch-friendly 4.5g made alot of peple happy too. Still not sure what the idea was behind currency that weighed 330g per unit.
It just goes to show that money is the physical representation of human economic contracts. Is our modern system any weirder? Most of my "money" consists of bytes in bank database.
