your lightest sestertius

This week we had a couple of threads discussing about low weight or over weight specimens of different types of coins , I would like to show you another interesting low weight coin , a large(34.5 mm) sestertius of Domitian that has only 13.6 grams.

I compared the coin with two other sestertii , to see the thin flan. Unfortunately there is nothing visible on reverse , but using the remains of the obverse legend .....GERM COS XVI C..... I targeted two possible types : RIC 751 or 752. I'm curious also to know your opinions about.




Please post your lightest sestertius ! , from any period .

Looking at my coins I found that all the lightest sestertii before Commodus are around 19 g , I have three Commodus of 17,7 g each(maybe a coincidence) , after this period I have a Decius of 14.9 g.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Tricky on my part but here's my lightest sestertius


Republic, Sestertius
Rome mint, ca 211-208 BC
Head of Roma right, IIS behind
Dioscuri riding right, two stars above, ROMA at exergue
1.06 gr, 13 mm
Ref : RCV # 46, RSC # 4

Q

 

I am with Cuke on this one: My lightest Sestertius

The smallest Roman coin was probably an AR Sestertius (2-1/2 As) at approx 12mm, 1.0 g ... much larger.

RR AR Sestertius After 211 BCE 12mm 1.0g Rome mint Roma r IIS - Dioscuri riding stars in ex ROMA Sear 46 Craw 44-7 RSC 4

 

I knew you would !

Q

 

18 grams....

Typical oblong flan of the mid third century Sestertii:

Severus Alexander, 222-235 A.D. VICTORIA AVGVSTI

 

nice victory ! ,
I forgot to mention this one 14.2 g / 32 mm , will be my second place:

 

For the type, I'd say this one is on the lighter side as well...

Postumus
A.D. 260
Ӕ Double Sestertius, 32mm 24.3 grams
Obverse: L IMP C M CASS LAT POSTVMUVS P F AVG; radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Reverse: P M TR P COS II PP S C; Emperor in military attire stg. l.; holding globe and spear.
Reference: RIC V Lugdunum 106

 

Since I have only two sestertii, one from Marcus Aurelius and one from Philip I, that's an easy question for me to answer. The Marcus Aurelius weighs 25.8 g. The Philip I is almost 10 g. lighter, weighing only 16 g.:

 

LOL

 

I have a sest. of Max. Thrax, rev. TR P III Emperor with standards, which I fished out of a junk bowl because of its light weight: 10.11g.

Not overly small (27-28 mm), but I conjectured it might erroneously have been struck on a dupondius flan. Lightest sestertii of his reign in the BM collection: no. 184, 15.15g, no. 41, 16.16g. Mean sest. weight in the collection: 21.0g (82 spec.); dupondii 10.9g (21 spec.).

 

These big bronzes of Viminacium are often classified as Sestertii. If it's the case, this one can be described as "puny": 10.11g for 27 mm. It's 0.37g/ mm...

Trebonianus Gallus

 

This Otacilia Severa was struck from sestertius dies, apparently on an As flan. After losing a little more weight to environmental damage, it weighs only 6.67g (no longer mine, as I sold it a year ago)

 

Severus Alexander, 15,50 gr.

 

Lovely sestertii But do you, or anyone else, knows why the sesterius introduced after the reform of Augustus, was also named sestertius as sporadically struck in the Republican era? Has it something to do with the meaning of the word, sestertius?

 

Sestertius is 1/4th of a Denarius. The original Denarius until approx 141 BCE was 10 As. The original Sestertius was 2-1/2 As. Sestertius was to mean 2 As and a Semis, or One-Fourth. After approx 141, the Denarius was tariffed at 16 As, and the Sestertius carried on with 4 As and keeping the original name. Then Augustus changed it to Copper. (I like the AR versions better myself...)

 

No, this was never true. It was 1/4 of the denarius. First that was 1/4 of a ten as denarius and later 1/4 of a 16 as denarius. There was a long time between the last silver sestertius and the bronze 1/4 so the man on the street would not have been confused.

 

I misspoke. Agreed 1/4 DENARIUS.

ok, Doug, I made a boo-boo.

 

Really pitiful (to me) 14.2 G, 27-29mm.
I still like it though...

I would really like to see largest/heaviest sestertius thread.

 

262 AD Salonina Sestertius, VF and 11,64 g

 

I remember this thread :
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/wow-thats-big-and-heavy.358159/