Aes Rude that is...i just got this in last nite. Its my 1st Aes rude piece ever and i really don't know them so i ask/ get your opinion on this piece.. POST YOUR COMMENTS AND PICS PEEPS, EXPERT AND NOVICE ALIKE Aes rude, 13.90 gms
Cool @ominus1 ! I have an Aes Rude also: Italia Aes Rude - bronze ca 5th-4th Century BCE 29.7mm 32.4g (roughly a Sextans) Ancient Roman / Central Italia coinage. I understand that Aes Rude were poured molten Bronze into a water bath causing rapid cooling and creating small bits used as monetary units. Usually goods were valued by Bronze Weight. Early Roman soldiers were paid in kind. An As was one Roman pound (Libral) or approx 320g of AE (Bronze)
The piece looks good to me. What I tell my wife (and others who ask) how I know the pieces I have are really 2000+ years - there is no way of knowing. If the piece has find information, you could improve your chances, but I bet you do not. You can do a bit of looking on line and see plenty of pieces. Get a feel what they look like and then use your judgement on the seller. I would avoid a seller without some ancient numismatic background. I have a few, and have posted some of them on this site and in my blog: http://rrdenarius.blogspot.com/ Cast bronze came in many shapes: irregular nuggets (like yours), bars with and without decorations, broken bars, shapes, cast coins, etc. They had many uses: proto money, votive offerings, raw material for a forge, a way to store wealth, etc. There are a few books on the subject. A good one is Italian Cast Coinage by Thurlow and Vecchi. Most of the pieces in my collection were labeled as coming from Central Italy. This is because those areas were later part of Rome, but not when produced. The Greek colonies in southern Italy issued coins. Welcome to the aes rude collector's club. I hope you find plenty more finds.
thanks, i was waiting for you to ring in...it came from a reputable seller..i figured a Roman coin collector should have an example in ones collection..
