Quadrans questions

I collect Nerva-Antonines as an area of special interest, and this has led me to consider purchasing a few of the particularly appealing Trajan and Hadrian quadrans that you regularly see floating around for little money.

Unfortunately, this has led me to start jonesing for some of the earlier quadrans of Augustus, Claudius and Nero in particular, and indeed the denomination in general.

I am thinking of starting a second collection as a long term side project focusing only on quadrans and semis, but have a few questions. After reading in my Sear book and some online articles, and ignoring AES Grave altogether, it seems that quadrans were first produced by Augustus after his reforms, and continued to be produced up until the reign of Marcus Aurelius.

Is this a correct end point, or were they ever produced after this time? Was the quadrans a denomination produced in provincial coinage before or after this time? Does anyone have any good reading recommendations on the subject of Roman small change?

Also, if you have any quadrans or semis, please post them!

Many thanks, Stu

 

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This is the only Quadrans I own now:



CLAUDIUS, RIC Volume I, No. 88

 

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
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
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
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


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

 

I had a nice Trajan quadrans featuring his famous column...but it was in my old collection that I sold. I believe it was a fairly rare coin as a google search today reveals the column on denarii, but not on the quadrans. Wish I still had it!

 

Non-AES Grave Quadrans:


Roman Republic AE Quadrans 18mm 3.6g Rome 206-195 BC Hercules R wearing lions skin pellet behind - ROMA Prow of galley right 3 pellets Cr339-4a; Syd679c


Roman Republic C Curiatius f Trigeminus 135 BCE Æ quadrans 18 mm 4.8g Rome Hd Hercules lionskin 3 plts - CCVR F ROMA prow Victory wreath 3 plts Cr 240-4a; Syd460b



Italia, Frentani - Larinum AE 18mm Quadrans 210-175BCE Herakles - Centaur SNG COP 272

 

Some great examples posted so far. So clearly small ae quadrans were produced in the Republic then, contrary to what I thought I had read. Does anyone have any solid information about their production?

 

This may be true with regard to IMPERIAL quadrantes, but is not true with reapect to the denomination as a whole. Beginning in 217 BC, after Aes Grave were replaced with struck bronze coins by the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War, quadrans were struck by the Roman Republic. There are many interesting quadrantes struck by the Republic. If you are interested in the denomination, you should collect them as well as the Imperial series.

Below is an early struck AE Quadrans of the Second Punic War, circa 215-212 BCE, overstruck on a bronze coin of Sicily:

 

That's a beauty too, and thanks for the information.

 

Augustus Semis minted Lyon, ca 10-14, 18mm, 5.27gm, Altar of Lyon...RIC 234

 

Caligula quadrans commemorating the repeal of a 1/2% tax


Domitian semis


Anonymous Minerva quadrans


Anonymous Juno quadrans

 

These are the ones I have (and others have posted these types too):


Augustus (triumvirate but with 4!), garlanded altar/SC, with names of the 4


Trajan, Hercules/boar

 

Many moneyers produced quadrantes during the Republic, along with the other denominations. With a few exceptions they're all variations of the basic Hercules/Prow theme with small differences like mintmarks, moneyer initials and various symbols. I recommend spending some time on Andrew McCabe's website it you want to get a good feel for RR coinage.

Check the link in my signature as well for examples of many RR bronze coins and the various denomonations commonly seen

 

A very fun area and noble cause. Here are some of mine:


ANONYMOUS. Semuncia
(Circa 217-215 BCE). Rome.
Obv: Head of Mercury right,
wearing winged petasus.
Rev: ROMA. Prow of galley
right. Crawford 38/7. Ex
LANZ
5.49 g. 20 mm


Anonymous, Quadrans,
Italy, Sicily or Sardinia,
traditionally after 211 BC AE
(g 3,88 mm 19 h 9) Head of
Hercules r., wearing lion’s
skin behind, °°°, Rv. Prow r.
above, ROMA below, °°°.
Crawford 56/5 Sydenham
143c McCabe, H1

CORDUBA Cnaeus Caesar
(Córdoba / Córdoba). Æ-Quadrans, Mitte 2. Jahrhundert c. Chr .; 7.08 g. Haupt der Venus rechts, davor CN • IVLI • L • F • Q // Nackter geflügelter Eros mit Cornucopia u. Fackel, CORDVBA rechts, links 3 Kugeln. CNH 1; SNG BM 1643-8; Villaronga / Benages 2484.

Claudius

Æ Quadrans. Rome, AD 42.
TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR
AVG around modius on
three legs / PONT M TR P
IMP COS II around large
SC.


Claudius
(41-54 CE),
Quadrans,Rome, 25
January - 3 December AD
41, AE TI CLAVDIVS
CAESAR AVG, around hand
holding scales; below, P N
R, Rv. PON M TR P IMP
COS DES IT, around S C.
RIC 85; C 71.


Trajan
Æ Quadrans. Rome, circa
AD 109-117. IMP CAES
NERVA TRAIAN AVG,
laureate bust right, slight
drapery on far shoulder /
She-wolf at bay to right, SC
in exergue. RIC 692.

 

Claudius I AE Quadrans

Rome Mint 42 AD. 3.3g 16mm
Rev (left): PON M TR P IMP COS DES IT around S C.
Obv (right): TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG, right hand holding scales.

PNR? thought to be related to a monetary reform "pondus nummorum restitutum" = "weight of coins restored" - interesting to see with the scale on the obverse.

 

Here is my site on the quadrans denomination:

http://augustuscoins.com/ed/quadrans/

The quadrans denomination is scarce and usually without an imperial portrait, which makes it less desirable to most collectors. Examples circulated a lot (as low denominations do) and are usually quite worn. That makes many of them inexpensive. However, if you see one that is "really nice" you will find there is quite a bit of competition for it and it won't be so cheap.



Nice examples, like this one, from the reign of Claudius are available.

Claudius, 41 - 54. Quadrans.
Struck 41
18 mm.
TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG
around modius on three legs
PON M TRP IMP COS DES IT
(Pontifex Maximus, Tribunica Potestas, Imperator, Consul Designate for the second time)
around SC
RIC 84

 

That is a superb resource Valentinian, many thanks for your work. I've just devoured the lot on my phone with my morning coffee, and will follow up all of the links when I am at my computer.

 

The semis below was minted in Rome for circulation in the colonies.

 

Here's mine, fairly decent

 

Quadrans (or quadrantes) are interesting coins. In the 1st and 2nd c. they were the smallest coins issued by the senatorial mint of Rome (the SC coins), and they were the only coins without the effigy of the emperor (except for a few ones).

They circulated in Rome, in Italy, in the western Latin speaking provinces but also in the eastern provinces along with locally minted AE coins. In 1st c. Orient, the quadrans was not the smallest coin in circulation, they had the half-quadrans.

​

Domitian (81-96), quadrans, Rome 83-92. AE 17 mm, 2.60 g, 6 h.
Obv.: two-horned rhinoceros walking left
Rev.: IMP DOMIT AVG GERM around S C.
RIC II.1 249

This rhino is not any rhino. It's probably the very first African rhino seen alive in Rome. There had been Indian rhinos under Augustus (twice) and perhaps before in the games given by Pompey, but the Domitian rhino was an African species, probably a "black" rhinoceros. It was opposed to a bear and a bull, there are short poems by Martial about these fights.
This rhino became a sensation, a superstar. It was represented by bronze statuettes, on oil lamps, on mosaics, and even on the frieze of the Divine Vespasian's Temple on the Roman Forum :

​

(a scene from Domitian's games celebrated by Martial : we see a venator against a lion and the rhinoceros attacking a bull)

This rhinoceros was even chosen to be the obverse type of quadrantes issued under Domitian !


Another quadrans :



Trajan (98-117), quadrans, Rome. AE 16 mm, 3.11 g, 6 h.
Obv.: IMP CAES TRAIAN AVG GERM, bust of Hercules, hair bound with taenia and with lion’s skin on shoulder
Rev.: boar walking right; in exergue S C
RIC 702

This quadrans was minted in Rome, and several specimens have been found in the river Tiber, in Rome. It is scarcely found in Archaeological digs (or by MD) in western Europe but seems to be rather common in the Near East, many specimens have been found in Israel and Jordan.
It is possible that this quadrans with Hercules on obverse was minted in Rome specially for circulation in Judaea and Arabia.

 

Trajan Decius struck a semis during his reign.