This Trajan bronze came in a lot I bought many years ago. It is a scarce type, and surprisingly it was just thrown in with a lot of other 1st century bronzes. My question is whether this is an As or Dupondius: I weighed it today - it weighs in at 11.32 grams. CNG has a few auction records and they refer to Asse of the type as weighing around 8-11 grams, yet they also have a dupondius with a stated weight of 10.3 grams. I thought the absence/presence of a head wreath was the determinant difference? yet I cannot see any difference in head style between what they call As and Dupondius (both are laureate). Any ideas? Rome mint. Struck circa AD 107-111. laureate bust right, slight drapery / Octastyle temple with portico on either side; in center, Jupiter seated; architrave adorned with figure of Jupiter and other figures; on roof, figure holding spear between two Victories.
I'd call it an as. I have a 12g as of a different type. To make things worse there are branch mint asses struck from yellow orichalcum which weigh only about 7g which have radiate crowns. The theory here is that the crown doubles the value of the half size coin but in fact I consider it inappropriate to call these Roman rather than provincials. Rome Trajan tend to follow the radiate dupondius rule. A normal as should be reddish copper while a normal dupondius should be yellow brass. This distinction fails a century later. There are yellow dupondii of Vespasian with laureate portraits. I'm not familiar with Trajan laureate dupondii. Can you show one?
Dupondius 13.6g - see the yellow wear through on the head As 12.7g - red copper (but water find patina?) As 10.3g - red copper Provincial as 7.0g yellow brass toned All these look a bit confusing to me but sometimes you need to scratch through to bare metal to see the true color.
Thank you, doug. Here is the one that threw me off. CNG call this coin a Dupondius with Laureate Bust. I see no difference to others they call Asse (but maybe its in the metal? as you say). http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=140563
There is a new standard reference on the coinage of Trajan that should answer your question. I'll try to check it Monday. That's also what CNG would do.
The British Museum catalog lists their as #958 as weighing 11.87g. The same type exists as a sestertius #863 (25.50g) but they do not have a dupondius listing the type only from a cast of a worn coin with uncertain details from the Paris collection with no weight given (but radiate crown). What is this new standard reference?
By the way, Doug - those are some nice bronzes you have there. I particularly like Trajan on horseback, and the Shield (macedonian?) reverses. Here is the one in my collection:
It can be fustratating sometimes, but I kinda like it how there is not always a straight forward answer and you have to do a little digging for info.
I agree Randy, but will also admit the reason I have not participated on this thread is I haven't a clue. To me, ignorantly, I have some of these coins but just think of them as "Roman small copper". I figured I would get into them more some day later.
B. Woytek. Die Reichsprägung des kaisers Traianus (98-117). MIR 14. Vienna. 2010. Off the top of my head, I honestly don't know if it will say As, Dupondius, or even "As or Dupondius."
Woytek 307b - he calls this an As, struck late 107-108, which makes sense as there are corresponding dupondii with radiate portraits. Sorry I took so long to respond!
