Post Your Quadrantes

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Roman Collector, Jun 10, 2017.

  1. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    The quadrans (which literally means "one-quarter") was a Roman denomination worth 1/4 of an as and was the smallest denomination regularly issued by the empire. Its value was 1/64 of a denarius and was thus only useful for the purchase of items and services of low value. Ancient sources note that it was the cost of admission to the public baths.

    Did you know the quadrans (Greek κοδράντης) is mentioned twice in the Bible? The two verses are:

    Mark 12:42
    καὶ ἐλθοῦσα μία χήρα πτωχὴ ἔβαλεν λεπτὰ δύο, ὅ ἐστιν κοδράντης.
    "And one poor widow came and threw two leptons, which is a quadrans."

    Matthew 5:26
    ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, οὐ μὴ ἐξέλθῃς ἐκεῖθεν ἕως ἂν ἀποδῷς τὸν ἔσχατον κοδράντην.
    "Truly I tell you, you will not come out from there until you have paid back the last quadrans."

    The quadrans was produced most actively by the Julio-Claudians, and it was no longer produced after the reign of Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-180).

    Post your quadrantes! Here's one of mine:

    Claudius Quadrans.jpg
    Claudius, AD 41-54
    Roman Æ quadrans; 3.95 gm; 15.1 mm
    Rome mint, AD 41
    Obv: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG, modius.
    Rev: PON M TR P IMP COS DES IT around large SC
    Refs: BMCRE 179; RIC 84; Cohen 70; RCV 1863
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2017
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    Thanks for the biblical quotes. I was unaware of them.
    Augustus 7.jpg
    AUGUSTUS
    AE Quadran
    OBVERSE: LAMIA SILIVS ANNIVS, clasped hands holding caduceus
    REVERSE: III VIR A A A F F around large S C
    Rome 9 BC
    3.0g, 15mm
    RIC 420, BMC 200, S 1693
    Augustus 8.jpg
    AUGUSTUS
    AE Quadran
    OBVERSE: SISENNA MESSALLA IIIVIR, altar
    REVERSE: APRONIVS GALLVS AAAFF around SC
    Rome 5 BC , Moneyers Apronius, Galus, Messalla, and Sisena
    3.0g, 17mm
    RIC 463 or 200 in Old RIC
    ANONYMOUS Roman Republican 1.jpg
    ANONYMOUS
    Æ Quadrans
    OBVERSE: Winged petasus
    REVERSE: S-C, winged caduceus
    Struck at Rome, Late 1st-mid 2nd century AD
    15mm, 2.36g
    RIC II 32
    Trajan 9.jpg
    TRAJAN
    AE Quadran
    OBVERSE: IMP CAES TRAIAN AVG GERM, diademed bust of Hercules right with lion-skin on neck
    REVERSE: Boar walking right, SC in ex.
    Struck at Rome, 98-117 AD
    2g, 14mm
    RIC 702
    Trajan 3.jpg
    TRAJAN
    AE Quadrans
    OBVERSE: IMP CAES NERVA TRAIAN AVG, laureate head right, slight drapery on far shoulder
    REVERSE: She-wolf crouching left, SC in ex.
    Struck at Rome, 98-117 AD 2.6g, 16mm
    RIC 694, Cohen 340, BMC 1061
     
  4. Pishpash

    Pishpash Well-Known Member

  5. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Great write up @Roman Collector ... and your Quarter is nice!

    My Quarters are a few years before Mark & Matt:

    Frentani - Larinum AE 18mm Quadrans 210-175 BCE Herakles - Centaur SNG COP 272.JPG
    Frentani - Larinum AE 18mm Quadrans 210-175 BCE Herakles - Centaur SNG COP 272

    upload_2017-6-10_15-26-24.png
    Roman Republic Anon AE 28mm 19.2g Quadrans - Sicily mint 214-212 BCE Hercules-Erymanthian boar headress - Bull ex RBW Craw 72/7

    RR Aes Grave AE Quadrans 230 BCE Dog 3 pellets Six spoked wheel 59.8g Craw 26-6a Th-Vecchi 34.JPG
    RR Aes Grave AE Quadrans 230 BCE Dog 3 pellets Six spoked wheel 59.8g Craw 26/6a Thurlogh-Vecchi 34
     
  6. maridvnvm

    maridvnvm Well-Known Member

    I have only ever owned one.

    Domitian Ae quadrans

    Obv:- IMP DOMIT AVG GERM, Bust of Ceres left
    Rev:- S-C, Bundle of three poppies and four corn ears
    Reference:– RIC II new 243 (R). Cohen 17

    [​IMG]
     
  7. jamesicus

    jamesicus Well-Known Member

    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    RIC Volume I, Claudius, No. 88
     
  8. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    My favorite one is the Caligula with RCC (Remissa Ducentisima) which honored his remission of an unpopular 1/200 sales tax.
    rb1010bb1857.jpg
    Details are available to those who read long articles on small coins. The author spends a lot of time covering alternate theories by academics who do not accept the link of the coin to the tax.
    http://www.academia.edu/7653234/_Ta...aligula_Numismatic_Chronicle_174_2014_111-117
    Yes, the author is a name you have heard leading the movement to outlaw private ownership of ancient coins.
     
  9. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    @jamesicus reminded me of one I forgot
    Claudius 5.jpg
    CLAUDIUS
    AE Quadrans
    OBVERSE: T I CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG – Modius
    REVERSE: PON M TRP IMP P P COSII - Large S C
    Struck at Rome, 42AD
    2.6g, 16mm
    RIC 90, BN 195, S 1865, C 72
     
  10. Severus Alexander

    Severus Alexander find me at NumisForums

    I should get some more quadrantes... would like one like Doug's Caligula, also the Claudius with the hand holding scales. Wikipedia says the last quadrantes were issued by A. Pius. Is that right?

    Somewhere between Domitian and A. Pius, RIC II 32:
    Screen Shot 2017-06-10 at 5.55.53 PM.png

    Trajan, RIC 702:
    Screen Shot 2017-06-10 at 5.56.10 PM.png
     
  11. Valentinian

    Valentinian Well-Known Member

    There is some evidence some quadrantes were issued under Marcus. The "coins of the mines" are considered to be quadrantes and this one might be under Marcus:

    MetalAureliaQuadrans.jpg
    17 mm. RIC III, page 313, 1255 "uncertain" [ruler] but "R2" under Marcus Aurelius.
    Head right. The portrait looks a lot like Antoninus Pius. No legend.
    METAL AVRELIA/NVS in wreath.
    The name of the mine suggests Marcus. He could be honoring his adoptive father with the portrait.
    BMC III --, but BMC IV page 687 has it not in the BM but cited from a sale.
     
  12. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    Marcus Aurelius, according to Vagi.
     
    Severus Alexander likes this.
  13. Severus Alexander

    Severus Alexander find me at NumisForums

    Very cool, now on the list. (This group has caused major swelling there.)
     
    Roman Collector likes this.
  14. rrdenarius

    rrdenarius non omnibus dormio Supporter

    Nice coins. I do not have an Imperial one of these.
    Romans used bronze as a medium of exchange before they minted coins. The top pic is my puppy quadrans and an aes rude piece that weighs about a quarter of a Roman pound. Initially the Roman As = 324 grams. Inflation dropped this weight and by the time these were struck, they were fiat money => worth a quarter of an As because the government said so!
    DSCN0694.JPG
    About 225 BC, the Romans started showing Hercules on the obverse of quadrans. This held until Imperial times.
    P8181295.JPG

    The coin below is a struck quadrans. It has 4 dots on the reverse, oops.
    Four dot Quadrans Art Asta 5.14.16.jpg
    Four dot Quadrans Art Asta 5.14.16 rev.jpg
     
  15. rrdenarius

    rrdenarius non omnibus dormio Supporter

    @dougsmit
    Yes, the author is a name you have heard leading the movement to outlaw private ownership of ancient coins.

    Doug,
    We have at least two university profs in Texas who feel that way. One is at Rice and the other Baylor. I had hoped that the folks elected recently who want the government out of private lives would have supported ancient coin collecting. I see no evidence that is the case. As ancient coin collectors, I think it is important to support the the ACCG as a voice for collectors.
    FYI - I follow Dr Elkins and others on Academia.edu.
    Gene
     
    Theodosius and Alegandron like this.
  16. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    That boo-boo is a WINNER! Love that one!
     
    rrdenarius likes this.
  17. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Yeah, I always wonder: How many coins, artifacts, antiquities, etc are in THEIR homes, or quietly in THEIR "collections".
     
    Roman Collector likes this.
  18. chrsmat71

    chrsmat71 I LIKE TURTLES!

    claudius quadrans, i wonder if anyone used this coin to pay admission for a bath?

    [​IMG]

    Claudius, AE Quadrans , AD 42.
    O: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG, hand holding scales, PNR in field; R: PON M TR P IMP PP COS II around S C. RIC 91, Cohen 73. 17 mm, 3.2 g.
     
  19. Svarog

    Svarog Well-Known Member

    Here is my Augustus Screen Shot 2017-05-21 at 7.47.35 PM.png
     
  20. red_spork

    red_spork Triumvir monetalis

    I have a few quadrantes but this Cr. 200/5 quadrans of the moneyer Pinarius Natta is probably my favorite:
    cr200.5.JPG
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page