Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction X 27 September 2015
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Anonymous Æ Obol. Neapolis or Cosa (?) circa 273-269 BC. Helmeted head of Minerva right / ROMA, bridled horse's head right; RRC 17/1d; HN Italy 278; Balbi de Caro, RIN 1988, p. 120, 1949; RBW collection 16. 6.03g, 17mm, 11h.
Very Fine. Very rare variety.
The entire RRC 17 series may have been struck at Cosa, whose coins share the same types and metrology. The bronze Romano coinage (RRC 17/1a-i) and its parallel issue of the Latin colony of Cosa in Etruria (Vecchi, EC 1, 1-6) have since the 19th century been termed litrai and half-litrae, which has led to confusion for it has no justification in the observed behaviour of the 3rd century central Italian economy. The ancient use of the word litra, a Greek term for a Sicilian bronze unit, in the context of a purely Romano-Etruscan coinage without any contemporary parallel in Italy, seems unlikely and certainly not of contemporary usage. It may be better to describe these interesting military issues in Italian Greek or Roman weight terms with their customary nomenclature. From the mid 4th century Metapontine bronzes of 7.5-9.5g bear the denomination OBOΛΟΣ (HN Italy 1639-40) and from c.326 the standard Æ unit of Neapolis weighs between 5 and 10 grams which probably represents a fiduciary obol, which comfortably accommodates the Romano and Cosa bronzes which range between about 5 and 8 grams. For an in depth analysis of Neapolitan bronze issues, see A. Campana, 'A proposito dell'obol di bronzo' in Panorama Numismatico 94, 1996, pp. 12-16.
Very Fine. Very rare variety.
The entire RRC 17 series may have been struck at Cosa, whose coins share the same types and metrology. The bronze Romano coinage (RRC 17/1a-i) and its parallel issue of the Latin colony of Cosa in Etruria (Vecchi, EC 1, 1-6) have since the 19th century been termed litrai and half-litrae, which has led to confusion for it has no justification in the observed behaviour of the 3rd century central Italian economy. The ancient use of the word litra, a Greek term for a Sicilian bronze unit, in the context of a purely Romano-Etruscan coinage without any contemporary parallel in Italy, seems unlikely and certainly not of contemporary usage. It may be better to describe these interesting military issues in Italian Greek or Roman weight terms with their customary nomenclature. From the mid 4th century Metapontine bronzes of 7.5-9.5g bear the denomination OBOΛΟΣ (HN Italy 1639-40) and from c.326 the standard Æ unit of Neapolis weighs between 5 and 10 grams which probably represents a fiduciary obol, which comfortably accommodates the Romano and Cosa bronzes which range between about 5 and 8 grams. For an in depth analysis of Neapolitan bronze issues, see A. Campana, 'A proposito dell'obol di bronzo' in Panorama Numismatico 94, 1996, pp. 12-16.