Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;TJC, post: 2457647, member: 45502&quot;]In the early third century BC Rome had not yet become the grand empire that it would someday become.&nbsp; At this time Rome was a city state on the rise that had just recently consolidated its rule over the Italian Peninsula.&nbsp; After this consolidation Rome would fight off the Greek King Pyrrhus of Epirus, and later in the century expel Illyrian pirates from Adriatic Sea.&nbsp; In 264 BC Rome would go to war against Carthage in the first Punic war and would meet in war the Carthaginian general Hannibal (Hamilcar Barca) in the second Punic War (218 BC). </p><p><br /></p><p>Roman “money” was called pecunia, a word derived from cattle (pecus).&nbsp; In the&nbsp; early 3rd century BC,&nbsp; Roman “Coinage” started as shapeless chunks of bronze called aes rude (unfinished bronze) and aes formatium (formed bronze) consisting of&nbsp; axe heads and others end product metal pieces.&nbsp; These aes rude along with aes formatium were the normal medium of exchange, particularly in the North of Italy, and had no standard weight.&nbsp; The first standard weight bronze made for exchange was the aes signatum (marked bronze) which was cast with designs.&nbsp; This type is often found in cleanly broken pieces indicating fractions may have often been needed in the exchange of goods.</p><p><br /></p><p>Perhaps taking a hint from the Greeks who had been making standard weight coinage for a couple centuries, Rome had began making disc shaped coinage of standard weight.&nbsp; In 289 BC&nbsp; Rome established the college of moneyers (tresviri montales) to establish a mint in the Temple of Juno Moneta on the Capitoline Hill. </p><p><br /></p><p>The initial issue of bronze coinage was the aes grave (heavy bronze) weighing in at 322 grams and over 66 mm.&nbsp; This&nbsp; “heavy bronze” called an “as” formed the basic unit of exchange and was divided into seven denominations:</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>As = Basic Unit</p><p>Semis = Half Unit</p><p>Triens = Third Unit</p><p>Quadrans = Quarter Unit</p><p>Sextans = Sixth Unit</p><p>Unica = Twelfth Unit</p><p>Semuncia = Twenty Forth Unit</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman bronze coinage would suffer weight reductions throughout the 3rd century and by 269 BC the as would be reduced to 270 grams, a weight that it maintain until 218 when second Punic War broke out. </p><p><br /></p><p>Just got my first an only aes grave from a local coin shop.&nbsp; And yes I am super lucky to have a LCS that regularly carries ancients like this.&nbsp; An aes grave was not even on my hit list but when the shop owner showed me this one I one I could not refuse.&nbsp; It is not a full “as” aes grave.&nbsp; It a smaller 1/6th the size, sextans, but the condition and what I consider to be a very attractive tortoise won me over with ease!<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />&nbsp; It weighs 40.29 grams (still a hefty chuck of bronze) making in very likely cast between 269-218 BC.&nbsp; The flip I purchased it in was gave 230 AD as a date but I have not found a reference to confirm that date.&nbsp; This is a coin that am considering sending to David Sear for authentication.&nbsp; What do you think?&nbsp; Would you send this one in?&nbsp; I am still digging in reference material about this unique Roman coinage and having a blastJ</p><p><br /></p><p>Feel free to post your cast Roman coinage.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Aes Grave Sextans</b>, AE</p><p><br /></p><p>Rome, 230BC?, 269-218 BC</p><p>O:&nbsp; Tortoise</p><p>Rx:&nbsp; Six-Spoke Wheel,</p><p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Two Dots (Denotes the denomination, Sextans)</p><p>(40.29 Grams. 31 mm)</p><p>[ATTACH=full]514652[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]514654[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]514653[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]514651[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]514650[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in