For example the one dedicated by Nero in honour of his Ostia harbour.ĭupondius was a coin made from orichalcum, a bronze alloy. Some of the most spectacular pieces are the ones with buildings. Also, depending on the back, they can be much more expensive. In the third century, it started to lose value and weight, after the second half of the century it disappeared from the market. Usually, it has superb scenes on the back, because of the large available space. It has a diameter of 25-40 mm, and a weight of 25-27 gr. It usually bears the mark HS as a symbol of value. It was originally made from silver but Augustus mints this coin in bronze. It disappeared from circulation after Diocletian reform. Aurelianus, 270-275, tried to improve this coin but failed. After 251 it became a bronze coin, with only 3-5 % silver. The silver content was only 50 %.Īfter 238, it lost weight, to around 4,5. It had a diameter of 23-25 mm and initially a weight of 5,5. It was introduced in 215 and as a distinctive feature, the emperor’s head has a radiate crown, while the empress has a lunar crescent over her shoulders. It is a very rare coin, hard to find and usually expensive.Īntoninianus has a value of 2 denarius. It is made from silver and has a weight of half this coin, around 1,2-1,7 gr. Quinarius argenteus represents half a denarius. Even a VF is sometimes hard to find, because these coin circulated for a long period of time. Usually the Consecratio theme or the family coins, with more than one member are rare.Īlso, this coin is hard to find in decent condition. In some cases, for example a rare emperor or rare reverse can have a high value, around 1000 $ or even higher. Most of them are valued today at 20-50 $ a pieces of medium condition and not so rare. This coin is one of the most common for the Roman Empire. In the third century, in the context of inflation, its value dropped and after 238 it can rarely be seen in circulation. Sometimes, these coins were made from bronze and only silver plated. Septimius Severus minted denarius at around 50-70 %. From the reign of Trajan, 98-117, it was around 70-80 %. The quality of the silver was around 90-93 %, in the beginning. Starting with the first part of the reign of Septimius Severus, it was a more thick and small coin, around 15-17 mm but from the second part of the reign, after 202, it became thin and large, around 18-21 mm. At the beginning of the second century, it was around 18-20 mm. The diameter was around 17-18 mm for the denarius in the first century. In the second century, the coin dropped to around 2,5-3,3 gr but pieces of 3,8 are not unusual. From 64 AD, Nero minted them around 3,5 gr. Augustus minted denarius at around 3,9 gr. In the beginning, it valued only 10 bronze asses, thus named denarius (from decem, which means ten). In the republican time, it was first minted around 210 BC. It values 1/25 from a gold aureus and 16 asses. It is made from silver and that’s why it is sometimes named as denarius argenteus. These coins are very rare and expensive, even more than the aureus.ĭenarius is the standard coin in the roman system. From the third century, because of the more and more light aureus, it disappeared from circulation. It is a rare coin, seldom seen in circulation. It represented ½ of an aureus and also half of its weight. Usually, these coins have circulated quite a bit and a good coin is not rare, like a VF. In some cases, like a rare emperor or a rare reverse, the coin can easily go over 10.000 $. A normal value for this coin is around 3000-4000 $. Diocletian also minted some aureus around 5,4 gr. In the third century the weight was very different from emperor to emperor, in the context of the crisis. From the time of Septimius Severus and his son Caracalla the weight was around 6,5-7 gr. and from the second century AD to around 22 k of gold. On the other side, different scenes are presented.įrom the time of Nero, the weight drops from 64 AD to around 7.6-7,7 gr. On one side, the head of the emperor appears or, more rarely, a member of his family. The republican pieces are usually rare.įrom Augustus, it was a gold coin of high purity, around 23 k, and a weight of 7.9-8 gr. It was first minted around 210 BC but it was an exotic coin, with a high value. Aureus - a coin made from gold, as its name states.
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