I know it can be tough determining an As vs. a Dupondius, especially for empresses, but I have never been confused by a Sestertius vs. Dupondius. I recently got a Faustina I bronze that is puzzling me. It's diameter is definitely sestertius size - 32mm. But its weight is only 13.7 grams. Even allowing for wear, this is light for a sestertius of this era. But I have never seen a dupondius this wide before. It is considerably thinner than other sestertii I have handled - only about 1-2 mm. Except for the thinness/width oddity, it looks legit to me, but I am quite new at Roman AEs. The photos show this Faustina with a sestertius of Antoninus Pius that is virtually the same diameter (31-32 mm) but weighs 24.25 grams - clearly the Antoninus is a sestertius. It is very chunky - about 3-4 mm thick. My question is: is a "wide" dupondius something anybody else has seen? Or do I have some kind of light (or fake) sestertius? Thank you!
I have several dozen bronze coins of Faustina I. The middle bronzes really are only 26 mm or so. I suspect it was just struck on a lightweight flan. Were it a dupondius, the border of dots around the rim would be very prominent and the flan would stick way out from the circle of dots.
i'd say it's a dupondius or As..i have a Nero dupondius and its the most widest surface area of any coin i have in my collection....here is is next to an As..but, as RC pointed out, there's a large flan area outside of the legend.
I am the custodian of an As and two Sestertius of Faustina. No Dupondius. And there is no question of the denomination regarding the size/weights of these three. FAUSTINA Sr AE As OBVERSE: DIVA FAVSTINA, draped bust right REVERSE: AVGVSTA S-C, Ceres standing left holding torch & corn-ears Struck at Rome, 148-161AD 13.5g, 27mm RIC 1171 FAUSTINA Sr AE Sestertius OBVERSE: DIVA FAVSTINA, draped bust right REVERSE: AETERNITAS S-C, Aeternitas seated left holding phoenix & scepter Struck at Rome, 147 AD 24.53g, 34 mm RIC 1103A FAUSTINA Sr AE Sestertius OBVERSE: DIVA FAVSTINA, draped bust right REVERSE: AVGVSTA. Cybele, wearing polos, seated left, holding drum in right hand and branch in left arm. SC in exergue Struck at Rome, 141-161 AD 24.1g, 30mm RIC 1123
Thank you all for your help, and other examples. I think Roman Collector hit the nail on the head - my coin is a light-weight sestertius, for a dupondius/as die would be obviously "small" for the large planchet, revealing a lot of border beading. Mine fits the wide planchet very well, so it is probably a sestertius. Therefore I will go with a "skinny sestertius" - Faustina I Æ Sestertius Posthumous (147-161 A.D.) Rome Mint - Æ Sestertius DIVA FAVSTINA, draped bust right, pearls in hair, with bun / AVGVSTA, Ceres standing facing, veiled head left, torch in right hand, stalks of grain downward in left, S C in field RIC 1118; Cohen 88. (13.70 grams / 32 mm)
Exactly so. One can also go from the other direction and compare to the dupondius. Measure the average die size and compare. Either way one will get an idea of what diameter the actual dies would be, regardless of flan. Other possibilities are that it was a dupondius flan struck with a sestertius die. That would also explain the deep flan crack.
Custodian is an excellent choice of words, Bing! Custodian is what I as an ancient coin collector aspire to be. I feel privileged to be the custodian or curator of artifacts from ancient history. I look forward (but not too soon I pray ) when I can pass my collection on to a young ancient coin enthusiast.
