Ramo Secco, Currency Bar; CENTRAL ITALY, Emilia(?): 6th to 4th century BC

I have been looking for a currency bar with markings for a while. I have bid on a few. I have come close to a few and been way low on a few. This is the largest bronze in my collection by about 10%. I hope you like it.
You can see the central stem and at least two branches on this side.

The central branch is visable on this side, but the branches are hard to see (or not there).

You can see all of the casting seam on this side.


You can see some of the casting seam on this side.



Roman Republican Ramo Secco Currency Bar (Aes Signatum)
Central Italy, Emilia(?): 6th to 4th century BC
Fragment of a bronze ingot, on both sides branch with no leaves.
AE. 826 grams; Length = 62 mm, Width = 77 mm, Height = 36 mm
Thurlow-Vecchi AS1.
Vecchi – 3.1
HNI – pg 45 – highly ferruginous bars made apparently from 6th century in southern Etruria, Emilia and occasionally Sicily.
Grueber – lists 2 bars, but not RS
Cr – lists bars, but not RS
Syd AG – not in Sydenham
Haberline – pg 10 – 19; plates 4 – 6
Garrucci – Table VII, IX & X

The Ramo Secco cast ingots are the most common of the cast bars. They are normally found in fragments and subdivisions. They weigh anywhere from 500 grams to 2000 grams and often have weak or missing designs. I found 19 large bar pieces on line and averaged them:
Weight of my piece = grams 826
Weight max = 1,865
Weight min = 32
Weight avg = 694
Weight st. dev. = 385
I posted them on - http://rrdenarius.blogspot.com/

 

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Wow! Fantastic and it's huge. I would hate to have to tote many around at one time.

 

Nice chunck you got there!

Congrats!

 

That's so cool!!! I want one of those early types so badly!! Congrats @rrdenarius !!!

And I know they can be more than a bit pricey, but I'd LOVE to own at least one example.

Highly 'ferruginous' ?? Obviously referring to iron and/or rust....I suppose the higher iron content within this bronze alloy accounts for the name and 'rusty' appearance???

Any idea as to what it could be 'traded' for??? A cartload of salt???

 

Well done! I was looking very hard at one very similar! I am glad you landed it. Congrats. That is truly a pig of bronze! Have you found a Saflip for it yet?

 

Well, I have not gotten Signatum yet, but I did get a much less expensive Formatum the other day... I had to do it, as I did not have this style of currency in my collection. However, @ancientcoinguru has a REALLY nice example of it:


ITALIA Central Italy
Aes Formatum
Bronze Ax Head fragment
44.8mm max length, 56.14g
Comment: Bronze ax heads were used for exchange across Europe even before 1000 B.C. This broken fragment of a bronze ax head dates much later, c. 5 - 4th Century B.C. It was never used to cut wood but was cast to served as currency, and was broken for change.

 

That's BIG! Congrats!!

 

As you know @rrdenarius I am SO JEALOUS!! A ramp secco bar is at the top of my wish list, but always out of my reach. That a great example, with both the central stem and branches showing. Vendors don't usually show the side seam, so I appreciate you showing it, very cool!

 

I like @Alegandron's aes formatum, since shows how these bars were typically used...broken for change. Mine is unbroken:



ITALY, Æ axe head aes formatum
4th century BC
Overall dimensions: 121 x 40 x 9 mm, about 300 grams
The tip is not sharpened, and there is no hole for attachment
Reference: Vecchi Early Bars 3

 

An Axe head like yours is on my wish list. I have a knife piece and a different axe.
I have a couple of pieces headed my way. I will try to make a display when they arrive.

 

I am intrigued by the Oscan Shell Aes currency, and have a couple of those too.

 

To go with my cast bar, I bought a book. I have this one in PDF, but in hand is so much better. I hope the reprint is a good one. Garrucci plates are often quoted when identifying cast pieces (rude, bars, coins, etc.).
Le Monete dell'Italia Antica

 

Wow, that's an amazingly awesome new addition, rrd (congrats) ... sadly, I don't have any of those big babies (*sigh*)

Oh, but I noticed that your thread title mentions 6th-4th century AD, yet the certificate mentions 4th-3rd century AD (who authenticated that new purchase of yours?)

 

Thought: Your Ax head is about a Libral pound, or a Roman As in weight value... Mine broken at 56g would be approx a Sextans in value...

 

Continuing the same thought: @rrdenarius would your Signatum at 826g would be approx 2-1/2 to 3 Asses? The early Roman Constitution used to ascribe transaction values to an As...

 

An interesting thread indeed. I trust that you guys that buy artifacts that look like I could have made them in my garage know what you're doing.

 

The weight of an As varied by location (I am not sure if this is town or a larger area). I have seen weights, pre-devaluation, that range from 260 to 340 grams. I normally use 300 grams for cast bars and aes rude knowing the number varies with time and location.

The Spink's Numismatic Circular in 1909 lists weight standards for Central Italy of:

• Italian # = 400 grams
• Roman # = 327 grams
• Oscan # = 283 grams
• Umbria, Tuder # = 256 grams

FYI a link to the circular -
https://books.google.com/books?id=y...&q=central italy weight systems pound&f=false

Vecchi in Italian Cast Coinage gives the weight standard of an As at the start of each section. The oldest first and more recent later. For example Rome was listed first:

• 280 - 250 BC, currency bars
• 280 BC, Dioscuri / Mercury series, based on an As of 324 grams
• 270 BC, Apollo / Apollo series, based on an As of 334 grams
• several other series until ...
• 225 - 217 BC, Janus / Prow right, As of 270 g
• 225 - 217 BC, Janus / Prow pelet series, As of 260 g
  
• 235 - 217 BC, Janus / Prow left, As of 256 g
  
• 217 - 215 BC, Janus / Prow semilibral series, As of 132 g
  
• 215 - 212 BC, Janus / Prow post semilibral, As based on decending weight standards. I have a cast one of 60 grams.
• 211 BC, Janus / prow struck series, I think these start about 50 grams and rarely a bit more. My largest is 48 grams.

 

Thanks! I was being lazy and did not go to those sites when I responded to recall exact weights. I have always used a rough in-my-head for Central Italia as 300g.

 

Steve, This is the first coin (item) I purchased from Münzhandlung Ritter GmbH. They look to be knowledgeable to me (I googled their address and they have a nice store front in Düsseldorf). MR dated the bar for the certificate. Vecchi in ICC dated this type of bar to the 6th to 4th century BC. I am not smart enough to say who is right, but I have seen the older date more often. I have seen at least one writer who dates these to the start of the bronze age, 3000 to 2000 BC.

 

I looked really hard at this one also. I knew @rrdenarius was after it too, so I stepped back. No need to hurt ourselves. It is a great piece!

I have purchased from Ritter a few times before: shipped quickly, and no problems! Hope the same for you.