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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Ardatirion, post: 915416, member: 9204&quot;]As many of you probably know, my collecting is primarily focused on Roman lead tokens, also known as tesserae. The other day, I added twelve new pieces to my collection, all from Roman Egypt. </p><p><br /></p><p>Scholars alternately suggest two functions for the tesserae in Egypt. Rostovtsev (1900) and Mitchiner (1984) are of the opinion that they served as tax reciepts. However, it is unlikely that, with ostraka and papyri already serving as receipts for a much lower cost, many lead receipts would have been used. Milne (1900, 1908, 1930) puts forth a much more logical argument; the tokens functioned as a low-denomination currency.</p><p><br /></p><p>With the declining value of the primary denomination, the tetradrachm, the cost of producing the lower denomination bronze coinages would have increased. At this point, the mint officials would have had to somehow reduce costs. A solution was found by relinquishing the authority to produce the lower denomination coins to individual towns, who were then able to produce their own coinage in lead and glass. Presumably, this process would have begun sometime during the Severan dynasty, when bronze drachms ceased to be produced. A terminal date can be established by examining the official issues of tetradrachms: once they had been sufficiently reduced in value, likely around the time of Diocletian, even lead tokens would be too expensive to produce.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18271/Memphis_5279.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p> <p style="text-align: center">PB tessera of Egypt, Memphis</p> <p style="text-align: center">24.6mm; 5.767g</p> <p style="text-align: center">Nilus seated l. on hippopotamus, himation around legs; reed in r. hand,&nbsp; cornucopia in l.; Euthenia standing r. before, wearing chiton and&nbsp; billowing peplos, crowning him with wreath</p> <p style="text-align: center">MEMΦIC</p> <p style="text-align: center">Isis-Hekate standing facing, triple face crowned with disk and horns,&nbsp; wearing long chiton and peplos, uraeus in r. hand, l. arm around neck of&nbsp; Apis bull standing l. with disk between horns; small figure behind her&nbsp; raising hands</p> <p style="text-align: center">Milne 5279 var.; Köln 3501 (same dies)&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p style="text-align: center"><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18271/Oxyrhynchus_5312.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p> <p style="text-align: center">PB tessera of Egypt, Oxyrhynchus</p> <p style="text-align: center">24.8mm; 9.310g</p> <p style="text-align: center">Athena standing l. within distyle temple, wearing helmet, long chiton,&nbsp; and diplois; with Nike holding wreath in r. hand, long scepter in l.</p> <p style="text-align: center">OΞ</p> <p style="text-align: center">Nike flying l., wreath extended in r. hand, palm frond vertical in l.,&nbsp; all within thick linear border</p> <p style="text-align: center">Milne 5312; Köln 3534 (same dies)&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p style="text-align: center"><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18271/Antinoopolis_-.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p> <p style="text-align: center">PB tessera of Egypt, Antinoopolis</p> <p style="text-align: center">23mm, 5.205g</p> <p style="text-align: center">Draped bust of Antinoos r., wearing hem-hem crown of Harpokrates,&nbsp; crescent before</p> <p style="text-align: center">Nike advancing l., wearing chiton, wreath extended in r. hand, palm over&nbsp; shoulder in l., uncertain date in field</p> <p style="text-align: center">Milne -; Cf. Köln 3567; 3582</p> <p style="text-align: center"><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center">A rare portrait of Antinoos, Emperor Hadrian&#039;s friend and lover.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p style="text-align: center"><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left">I also have more tokens from Oxyrhynchus and a some from Koptos, Ptolemais, Aphroditopolis, and Herakleopolis. For more, feel free to visit the gallery in my signature.</p> <p style="text-align: left"><br /></p> </p><p>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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