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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;rrdenarius, post: 2486189, member: 75525&quot;][ATTACH=full]525364[/ATTACH] </p><p>[ATTACH=full]525365[/ATTACH] </p><p>A bronze currency bar arrived this week. This one is about the size of a Sextans or 1/6 th of a Roman pound. I have seen them called Aes Rude (that is how this one was advertised), Aes Formatum (or a cast bar with no features) and a currency bar (Italo Vecchi, Italian Cast Coinage). I like the term Aes Formatum best. </p><p>The bar is 30 mm wide X 38 mm long X 7 mm thick and weighs 53.3 grams. It was attributed to Latium or Campania in the 5th or 4th century BC.</p><p>For comparison, I have shown some other Sextan sized pieces below.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]525367[/ATTACH] </p><p>From top left, clockwise:</p><p>Broken bronze knife, 49.5 grams</p><p>Cast bar with lines, 37.7 grams</p><p>Sextans, TV 40, 38.5 grams</p><p>Small Ramo Secco bar piece, 48.8 grams - note this is a side view</p><p>&quot;New&quot; bar, 53.3 grams</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]525366[/ATTACH] </p><p>Side views.</p><p>The Sextans above is from the Roma / Wheel series of Aes Grave coins, Rome, 269 - 240 BC. The weight range for Asses of this series is 309 to 234 grams. The Sextans Turtle / Wheel coins have a weight range of 62 to 34 grams, mine is on the low side. </p><p><br /></p><p>The first cast coin series (289 - 245 BC) with the Janus / Mercury As had a weight range of 400 to 240 grams. The Sextans from that series had a weight range of 77 to 42 grams.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>There was a lot of variation in the weights of cast coins. I feel comfortable saying this bar at 53.3 grams was about the size of an older Sextans.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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