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<p>[QUOTE="ancient coin hunter, post: 6576750, member: 87200"]One of the triggers of perhaps the recalling of coins was debasement and inflation. So long as the standard for silver coinage in terms of purity was roughly the same, one might not see the public losing confidence in the coin of the realm. However, when the government started pulling tricks like reducing the fineness of the silver to 50% or less and introducing a new coin that weighed 1.5x a denarius yet was tariffed at two, those kinds of things must have been noticed, particular when tax time came around where the central authorities were earning a profit off the citizens' backs. </p><p><br /></p><p>After the 250's A.D. the monetary system imploded - provincial civic issues ceased around 260 A.D., both in silver and bronze. Sestertii, asses, and dupondii disappeared, and the only thing passing for coinage to be used by average folks were the antoniniani of less than 5% silver, that being a silver "wash" designed to give a shiny appearance for a short amount of time. Gold however remained of high purity, however the aureus shrank in weight and size during the reign of Gallienus.</p><p><br /></p><p>Given the conditions, there was no way good silver was still circulating, either confiscated by the government to issue millions of antoniniani or hoarded. If I was in that situation and still had some coins worth something, I undoubtedly would have hidden them in a jug and either buried them or sealed them inside a wall in my house - hoping for better times.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="ancient coin hunter, post: 6576750, member: 87200"]One of the triggers of perhaps the recalling of coins was debasement and inflation. So long as the standard for silver coinage in terms of purity was roughly the same, one might not see the public losing confidence in the coin of the realm. However, when the government started pulling tricks like reducing the fineness of the silver to 50% or less and introducing a new coin that weighed 1.5x a denarius yet was tariffed at two, those kinds of things must have been noticed, particular when tax time came around where the central authorities were earning a profit off the citizens' backs. After the 250's A.D. the monetary system imploded - provincial civic issues ceased around 260 A.D., both in silver and bronze. Sestertii, asses, and dupondii disappeared, and the only thing passing for coinage to be used by average folks were the antoniniani of less than 5% silver, that being a silver "wash" designed to give a shiny appearance for a short amount of time. Gold however remained of high purity, however the aureus shrank in weight and size during the reign of Gallienus. Given the conditions, there was no way good silver was still circulating, either confiscated by the government to issue millions of antoniniani or hoarded. If I was in that situation and still had some coins worth something, I undoubtedly would have hidden them in a jug and either buried them or sealed them inside a wall in my house - hoping for better times.[/QUOTE]
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