Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Electronic Auction 482 16 Dec 2020
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Aurelian. AD 270-275. Æ Sestertius or As (25.5mm, 8.79 g, 12h). Rome mint, 4th officina. 11th emission, January-September AD 275. Laureate and cuirassed bust right / Severina and Aurelian, holding scepter, standing facing one another and clasping right hands; above, radiate head of Sol right. RIC V 80; BN 303-6. Green and black patina, some roughness and scratches, smoothing. VF.
After roughly two decades in which no official bronze denominations were struck by the main Roman mints, Aurelian reintroduced two relatively large and weighty bronze coins as part of his overall currency reform in circa AD 274-275. Two denominations were struck, a smaller piece of about 25 mm, about the same size and weight of the second century copper as, and a larger and heavier piece bearing a radiate portrait of the emperor, paired with a bust of his wife on a crescent. Although often catalogued as bronze asses and dupondii respectively, given the high inflation of the period, it is more probable they represent sesterii and double-sestertii. Standing in rather puzzling relation to the highly debased "silver" antoniniani then circulating (actually less than 5% silver and the rest base metal), the new bronze coins were never issued in large numbers and were only rarely struck in the following reigns, disappearing entirely early in the Tetrarchic period.
After roughly two decades in which no official bronze denominations were struck by the main Roman mints, Aurelian reintroduced two relatively large and weighty bronze coins as part of his overall currency reform in circa AD 274-275. Two denominations were struck, a smaller piece of about 25 mm, about the same size and weight of the second century copper as, and a larger and heavier piece bearing a radiate portrait of the emperor, paired with a bust of his wife on a crescent. Although often catalogued as bronze asses and dupondii respectively, given the high inflation of the period, it is more probable they represent sesterii and double-sestertii. Standing in rather puzzling relation to the highly debased "silver" antoniniani then circulating (actually less than 5% silver and the rest base metal), the new bronze coins were never issued in large numbers and were only rarely struck in the following reigns, disappearing entirely early in the Tetrarchic period.