Happy Sunday everyone, I have recently been following tetradrachm's issued under Imperial Rome (I'm representing Syria/Anatolia here). I've noticed some described as silver and others as billon. I've also noticed the coins described as silver or billon interchangeably even for the same reference in Prieur. For example Prieur 1183 Macrinus, listed as billon and as silver: https://leunumismatik.com/en/lot/26/3017 CNG: eAuction 447. SELEUCIS and PIERIA, Laodicea ad Mare. Macrinus. AD 217-218. AR Tetradrachm (26mm, 15.45 g, 6h). (cngcoins.com) By way of reference billon means a majority base metal content (copper) that is something other the precious metal the coin is intended to represent, such as silver, in weight. So does that mean a coin can be silver if it is 50.00001% silver and billon if it's 49.99999%? The requirement for a "billon" currency, essentially "our" term for less silver content, became more prevalent during the Severan currency debasement preceding the Crisis of the Third Century. But we know precious metal purity cheating is as old as the hills with a common biblical reference predating the Severans by a few centuries citing how moneychangers were required because the half-shekel Temple Tax had to be paid with a Tyrian tetradrachma due to its purity. There are many examples of a larger coin, representing double the weight and value but containing only a fractional increase in total silver (Caracalla and the introduction of the antoninus is a great example). A drachm is thought to be a fistful, usually in the context of buying that amount of barley or other goods (or base metals). Why trade silver for the base metal when you can have both, said every government debasing! Other helpful hints in this area is the also obvious explanation that a drachm of 3.3g should = 1/2 didrachm of 6.6g = 1/4 tetradrachm 15.or said another way a Tet = 4 drachms. For some reason I think of tet as being ten but of course it's four. I wanted to write something fun but really wanted to show off pics of my coins (unfortunately not to scale): Vespasian Tet of 69-70 A.D. from Antioch, Syria that certainly could pass for billon: Vespasian 69–79 A.D. Tetradrachm RPC II 1945 Eagle "AR" 69-70 Antioch, Syria ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤ ΚΑΙΣΑ ΟΥΕΣΠΑΣΙΑΝΟΥ / IEPOV ETOVΣ B Eagle standing left on club, with wings spread; in left field, palm frond McAlee 334. Prieur 112 23.7mm, 15.29g Trajan Tet from Tyre a bit after the cool biblical refences, but very cool in it's own right and I think we can say very high silver content the bible may be right!: Trajan 98-117 A.D. Tetradrachm RPC III 3539 Melqart AR 110-111 Tyre laureate head right on eagle, club beneath neck AYTOKΡ KAIC NEΡ TΡAIANOC CEB ΓEΡM ΔAK / ΔHMAΡX EΞ IE YΠATE laureate head of Melqart right, lionskin knotted around neck From the Sallent Collection, ex-JAZ Numismatics, ex-Ancientnoob (this gem has been on the annual top 10 lists - a prized provenance!) BMC 14, Prieur 1515 24.0g 14.14 6h Trajan didrachm from Caesarea, Cappadocia Trajan 98-117 A.D. didrachm Metcalf 67d ; Sydenham 210 Mt Argaeus AR 112-117 Cappadocia, Caesarea-Eusebia Laureate and draped bust right, globe at point of bust AYTOKP KAIC NEP TPAIANOC CEB ΓEPM ΔAK / ΔHMAPX EΞ YPATO ς Mt. Argaeus with grotto at bottom containing large cult stone; series of stones lining base 21.0mm 7.10g And one of Lucius Verus also from Cappadocia Lucius Verus 161–169 A.D. drachm Sydenham, Caesarea 352 Mt. Argaeus AR 161-166 Caeseria, Cappadocia Bare headed, cuirassed bust right, seen from behind AYTOKP OYHPOC CЄBACTOC / YΠA-TOC B Mt. Argaeus, trees growing along sides, surmounted by nude figure (Helios) standing facing, globe in right hand, scepter in left. From the DePew Collection 20.0mm 6.10g A bit long winded for the purpose of showing off my coins but I would love to see what everyone has for tets or drachms and it doesn't have to stay in the imperial period or these regions. Also if anyone recommends reference material to these coin types I'd be most appreciative.
Shogun, The two links you posted of Macrinus are certainly billon & have a silver content of less than 20%. A long time ago I scored a tet of Macrinus that actually looks like high grade silver, see photo below. I'm sure this coin is billon too although it may have gone through a reverse plating process that makes it look like silver. Cyrrhestica-Berroea, Macrinus, AD 217-218, Billon Tetradrachm: 14.80 gm, 26 mm, 6 h. Prieur 890.
This guy chased ALL the silver out of his Tetradrachm! Persia Sasanian Empire Shapur I 240-272 CE AE Tetradrachm 10.78g 27mm Ctesiphon mint phase 1a Mural crown korymbos - fire altar type 2 SNS IIa1-1a
Nice new additions...I really enjoy collecting tetradrachms from the Eastern mints. Much lower silver content, but much larger coins, and some very interesting portrait styles. For references, I’d highly recommend Richard McAlee’s “The Coins of Roman Antioch”, it’s excellent. Here are some of my favorite tets from the Antioch mint. Decius, Philip I, Philip II, Gordian III Caracalla Trajan Decius Galba
Nero was a cheapo… Antioch, Syria Nero Regnal year 8, Caesarian year 110, (AD 61/62) AR Tetradrachm 25 mm x 14.05 grams Obverse: NERWNOS KAISAROS SEBASTOU, Laureate bust right, wearing aegis. Reverse: Eagle standing left on thunderbolt, palm branch before, H/IP behind. Ref: RPC4182 billon tetradrachm Alexandria Egypt, LI ry.10 63-64AD obv. Radiate head of Nero right rev. Draped bust of Poppea right, LI before 23mm, 12.8g Milne 217, RPC 5275
It might not be for a Temple tax by the reign of Trajan as Titus had done quite a wrecking job on the Temple with the fall of Jerusalem a few decades earlier. Perhaps it might have been for continued commercial use in the Levant with Melqart on the coin, as for mercantile uses, it was still of good Tyrian silver.
Shogun, In the past there was much confusion as to what was billon or silver . Today any silver alloy less than 50% is considered billon. Most of the major auction houses have labeled billon coins as silver if they look like silver, regardless of of the silver content, because it makes them more salable . On the other hand NGC has labeled many silver coins as billon ! The Tet pictured below was labeled "billon" by NGC despite having a silver content of 60%. Antioch-Syria, Caracalla AD 198-217 (struck AD 205-207, under Septimius Severus). AR Tetradrachm: 14.31 gm, 27 mm, 11 h. McAlee 667. Ex Michel Prieur Collection. The later "War Issues" by Caracalla were debased to 35% silver & are billon, like the coin pictured below. I must correct an error in my previous post on this thread; the silver content on Macrinus Tets is 29% silver & not less than 20% silver. Duh. Pictured below is another Macrinus Tet. Emesa-Syria, Macrnus AD 217-218, Billon Tetradrachm: 11.67 gm, 25 mm, 1 h. Reverse: Bust of Shamash below eagle. Prieur 972. This coin was labeled silver by Roma Numismatics . The two Tets pictured below of Septimius Severus were mistakenly labeled by NGC as billon, in fact they are silver (60% silver). Another important reference book for collectors of Syro-Phoenician Tets is the late Michel Prieur's landmark book.
