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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 2883567, member: 19463&quot;]Several rulers started off with better silver than the end level of their predecessor but it rarely lasted long.&nbsp; Pertinax and earliest Septimius Severus are better than last Commodus.&nbsp; Postumus started with coins that looked more like Gallienus&#039; first year half a dozen years earlier even if it was only 20% tops.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Certainly there will be variations along the way.&nbsp; I suspect some was caused by recycling old coins.&nbsp; I doubt they started with .999 silver and alloyed it down.&nbsp; XRF seems fun for measuring surface silver but surface enrichment and added silver wash would seem to make the results more fun than meaningful. </p><p><br /></p><p>Good intentions are dangerous.&nbsp; Didius Julianus is famous for promising to pay a lot of money &#039;buying&#039; the empire but he had trouble coming up with the cash to pay the promised amount.&nbsp; Compare his denarii to those of Pertinax and Septimius.&nbsp; They are lighter.&nbsp; Hint for those planning to buy soldiers: Paying them in lightweight coins and shorting the count might not go well in the long run.&nbsp; Ask Didius.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]691573[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]691574[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]691575[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>My thought exactly!<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie2" alt=";)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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