The coins of ancient Rome are not artistically as interesting as those of Greece. They are, however, most useful for all who desire to become acquainted with the history and institutions of the eternal city.
They may be divided into the following classes:—
I. Heavy Bronze coins cast in a mould, Æs Grave. II. The so-called Consular or Family series, consisting of silver and bronze struck coins, together with a few gold pieces.
III. Gold and silver, struck by the authority of the Emperor.
IV. Bronze (commonly called Large, Middle, and Small Brass), struck by authority of the Senate, and distinguishable by the letters S. C. (Senatus-Consulto).
V. Imperial medallions in all metals, not intended to circulate as money.
(1) The æs grave was the earliest money used in Rome and throughout the central and northern parts of the Italian peninsula. It consisted of the As (or unit) and its divisions and multiples, as follows:—
| As. | Obv. Head of Janus; | Rev. Prow of ship. | Mark of value | I |
| Semis (1/2 As). | Obv. Hd. of Jupiter | " | " | S |
| Triens (1/3 As). | " " Pallas | " | " | .... |
| Quadrans (1/4 As). | Obv. Head of Hercules | " | " | ... |
| Sextans (1/6 As). | " " Mercury | " | " | .. |
| Uncia (1/12 As). | " " Roma | " | " | . |
| Dupondius (2 Asses). | O. Hd. of Pallas; | R. Prow of ship. | Mark of value | II |
| Tripondius (3 Asses). | " | " | " | III |
| Decussis (10 Asses). | O. Head of Roma. | " | " | X |
The above types are those of the coins of Rome itself. The æs grave of the other Italian states had different types.
The As first issued in Rome is said to have weighed one pound, hence it was called the As Libralis. The earliest known specimens of the Libral series date from about B.C. 400. As time went on, it was gradually reduced in weight, at first to 4 ounces, about B.C. 268 (Triental Reduction), and subsequently, B.C. 217, to 1 ounce (Uncial Reduction), and somewhat later even to ½ an ounce.
(2) Silver money was first struck in Rome about B.C. 268. It consisted of the following denominations:—
| The Denarius (= 10 Asses). | Obv. Head of Roma; Rev. The Dioscuri. |
Mark of value | X |
| The Quinarius (= 5 Asses). | Similar types | " | V or Q |
| The Sestertius (= 2½ Asses). | " | " | IIS |
Afterwards another denomination called the Victoriatus was added: Obv. Head of Jupiter; Rev. Victory crowning a trophy. This was a coin of Campanian origin, and its value was ¾ of the denarius. The types of the silver money, at first constant and uniform, were subsequently varied according to the pleasure of the officers entrusted with the supervision of the coinage. The types of the Roman denarii of the last century of the Republic generally contain allusions to past (but never or very rarely to contemporary) events connected with the family of the moneyer. Hence such pieces may be called Family coins, but to give this name to the whole series of Republican denarii is incorrect.
At first it is supposed that the direction of the Roman mint was entrusted to the Consuls themselves, but it was not long before special magistrates were appointed from time to time to superintend the currency. These Triumviri or Tresviri Monetales were officially designated as Tresviri auro argento aere flando feriundo, a title abbreviated on some coins to IIIVIR. A. A. A. F. F. The adjective Monetalis referred to the temple of Juno Moneta, in which the mint was situated, and from this epithet of Juno our modern word “Money” is derived.
It is usual, though not strictly scientific, to arrange a cabinet of Roman Republican denarii under the family names of the moneyers, in alphabetical order. As the family name does not always occur upon the coin, the following table of surnames and of the families to which they belong will be found useful to the young collector in arranging his coins.
(3 and 4.) Imperial coins. The Imperial series may be said to commence in B.C. 2, when Augustus was made Pater Patriæ. From this time forward the names of the moneyers cease to appear on the coinage.
The portrait of the emperor, or of some member of the Imperial family, now almost always occupies the obverse of the coin. The reverse type is, as a general rule, some allegorical figure, such as Spes, Justitia, Salus, Pietas, etc., etc., or the representation of some one of the many provinces of the empire, e.g. Britannia, Judæa, etc., or again some military subject, e.g. legionary standards, or the emperor addressing his soldiers, together with a great variety of types, to mention which would occupy far more space than we have here at our disposal.
The inscriptions on the Imperial coins contain in an abbreviated form the date of their issue, calculated by the number of times which the Tribunitia Potestas, or Tribunitian power, had been conferred upon the emperor. This office was renewed annually on the first day of January. The formula is TR. POT. or TR. P., followed by a numeral, as, on a coin of Trajan, TR. P. XX. COS. VI. IMP. XI. This means that the coin was struck when the emperor was in the possession of the Tribunitian power for the 20th time, of the consulship for the 6th time, and of the Imperatorship for the 11th time. Now, as Trajan had the Tribunitian power for the first time in A.D. 98, we get the date A.D. 116 for the coin in question. The other offices mentioned were not annual.
The following is a list of the Roman emperors, and other members of the Imperial families, arranged in the order in which it is usual to classify their coins, which is, as far as possible, chronological:—
The above list is not quite complete, even as far as it goes, but it includes the names of all the emperors whose coins are at all likely to be met with by the young collector.
The series of the large brass coins, which is more interesting than the others, ceases after the reign of Postumus.
(5) Imperial medallions. As illustrations of the life and religion of the Romans under the Empire, as well as of the history of the times, no numismatic monuments which have come down to us can compete with the large bronze medallions. They are to be distinguished from the current large brass coins by the absence of the letters s.c. (senatus consulto), as well as usually by their larger size, higher relief, and finer work. As, however, the prices fetched by good medallions are, as a rule, very high, they are practically out of the reach of the collector of moderate means.
The young collector will not be long before he learns that a large number of the coins exposed for sale in shop windows are false, and at first he may be a little discouraged by finding that he is himself quite unable to discriminate between a true coin and a false one. But let him not despair. He will in time, by careful observation of undoubtedly authentic specimens of the class which he has selected for study, gain a kind of instinct which will enable him to detect the modern imitation at a glance, even though he may not always be able to explain his reasons to the uninitiated.
False coins may be divided into the following classes:—
I. Forgeries struck from false modern dies. Such forgeries, when the dies have been well executed by men familiar with the characteristic peculiarities of ancient work, are often exceedingly difficult to detect, especially when they are of gold. The true ancient patina and oxide which time alone gives to bronze and silver, cannot be exactly imitated.
A few hints may be of use in the detection of false struck coins.
The weight, owing to the ignorance of the forger, is generally incorrect.
The style of the art is weak, and the forms of the letters especially are timid and wanting in firmness.
II. Modern casts made from ancient struck originals. A cast coin, when in gold or silver, may always be detected by its light weight, unless this has been compensated for by making the cast thicker than the original. The lettering and the types on cast coins are also less sharply defined than on struck coins, and the surface has either a soft and soapy appearance, or else it is covered with minute sand-holes, an infallible indication of rough casting. The genuine patina of bronze coins is imitated by paint, which can be removed by spirits of wine.
III. Electrotypes. These are of necessity of wrong weight. They may also be known by the edges, where the mark of joining of the two sides separately made and then stuck together, is never concealed, unless, which is seldom the case, the electrotype is intended to deceive. Many students who cannot afford to buy originals of rare coins, supply their places by electrotypes, which, as they are exact facsimiles, do not spoil the eye, as too much familiarity with false coins undoubtedly does. Electrotypes may generally be split in two with a strong knife.
IV. Original coins which have been altered with a graving tool may be classed as forgeries, and should be avoided, as there is no telling to what extent they may have been “restored.”
Coins should be kept under lock and key in a mahogany cabinet. Trays made of cedar should never be used, as there is a deposit from this wood which covers the surface of copper and lead coins with a kind of varnish which is difficult to remove. In arranging coins in the trays, begin at the left hand top corner, placing the coins in rows, one in each hole. Under every coin there should be a descriptive card or a number referring to a catalogue, in which the price paid for every specimen should be carefully recorded, as well as the name of the persons from whom it was acquired. A coin from a well-known cabinet will always fetch more when sold than an equally fine specimen of which the antecedents are unknown.
Barclay V. Head.
[1] It should be observed that the P is the Saxon W.
[2] The first date that appears on any English silver coins.
[3] The first instance of a date upon an English gold coin.
[4] One variety, the “Pudsey” Shilling and Sixpence, said to have been used in the wars in Ireland, has an escallop shell filling the inner circle.
[5] “A Guide to the Coins of the Ancients, from cir. B.C. 700 to A.D. 1,” with seventy plates, by B. V. Head, second edition, London, 8vo, 1881, Trübners.