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The Aes Grave series of coins was cast in bronze and had intrinsic value – they were literally worth their weight in bronze. The Romans weren’t concerned about the weight of each coin, just that they got the correct number of coins from a pound of bronze, so coins of the same type, time, and mint, can have a wide range of weights. Approximate weights are used below.
Each coin in the series was marked to show its value in “Uncia”, which was one Roman ounce of bronze.
Denomination | Value | Value Mark | Notes |
As | 1 As | I | Original weight was 12 “Uncia” which is 329g (11.64 oz) |
Semis | ½ As | S | Original weight was 6 “Uncia” which is 164.5g (5.8 oz) |
Triens | ⅓ As | ◯◯◯◯ | Original weight was 4 “Uncia” which is 109.6 g (3.87 oz) |
Quadrans | ¼ As | ◯◯◯ | Original weight was 3 “Uncia” which is 82.2 g (2.90 oz) |
Sextans | ⅙ As | ◯◯ | Original weight was 2 “Uncia” which is 54.8 g (1.93 oz) |
Uncia | 1/12 As | ◯ | Original weight was 1 “Uncia”. An Uncia was a Roman ounce, which is 27.4g (0.97 oz) |
Semuncia | 1/24 As | Σ | Original weight was 0.5 “Uncia” which is 13.7g (0.49 oz) |
The first Aes Grave coin series from the Rome mint (280 BC – 276 BC) to relative scale:
As | RRC 14/1 342.39g 73.6mm | |
Semis | RRC 14/2 158.30g 55mm | |
Triens | RRC 14/3 108.81g 49.4mm | |
Quadrans | RRC 14/4 68.32g 43.5mm | |
Sextans | RRC 14/5 51.74g 37.5mm | |
Uncia | RRC 14/6 32.34g 28mm | |
Semuncia | RRC 14/7 16.22g 24mm |
The First (264-241 BC) and Second (218-201 BC) Punic Wars, along with general inflation, caused the weight of the Aes Grave to fall over time. The weight of one As at the following major milestones was:
Date | Weight Standard | Weight of one As |
290 BC | Libral standard | 329g (12 oz) |
270 BC | Light or reduced libral standard | 274g (10 oz) |
217 BC | Semilibral standard | 137g (6 oz) |
214 BC | Quadrantal standard or Post-semilibral standard | 81g (3 oz) |
211 BC | Sextantal standard | 54g (2 oz) although 41g (3 oz) has also been quoted. This may be due to the large variability seen in weights of existing examples from each period |
141 BC | Uncial standard | 27g (1 oz) |
91 BC | Semuncial standard | 13.5g (½ oz) |
All fractional coins kept the same relationship with the As, so were reduced accordingly. The change in weight (and therefore value) had two repercussions; larger bronze denominations were needed, and smaller denominations became suitable for striking rather than casting. Surprisingly, the smallest denomination coin, the Quartuncia, was introduced in 217 BC when the weight of the As had already halved from its original value.
The added denominations were:
Denomination | Value | Value Mark on Reverse | Notes |
Decussis | 10 Asses | X | Introduced in 214 BC |
Quincussis | 5 Asses | V | Introduced in 214 BC |
Tressis | 3 Asses | III | Introduced in 270 BC |
Dupondius | 2 Asses | II | Introduced in 270 BC |
Quartuncia | 1/48 As | 3 g. Only minted from 217 to 215 BC when the semilibral weight standard was in use |
Asses from each standard (to relative scale):
290 BC Libral Standard | RRC 14/1 342.39g 73.6mm | |
270 BC Reduced Libral Standard | RRC 35/1 281.03g 63.9mm | |
217 BC Semilibral standard | RRC 38/1 119.9g 51.1mm | |
214 BC Quadrantal standard or Post-semilibral standard | RRC 41/5a 77.82g 43.6mm | |
211 BC Sextantal standard | RRC 50/3 40.21g 33.9mm | |
141 BC Uncial standard | RRC 290/2 28.69g 32.8mm | |
91 BC Semuncial standard | RRC 337/5 11.21g 27.8mm |
The following table shows when each coin started being minted, and how it was produced:
Denomination | 290 BC | 270 BC | 217 BC | 214 BC | 211 BC |
Decussis | – | – | – | Cast | – |
Quincussis | – | – | – | Cast | – |
Tressis | – | Cast | Cast | Cast | – |
Dupondius | – | Cast | Cast | Cast | Cast |
As | Cast | Cast | Cast | Cast | Struck |
Semis | Cast | Cast | Cast | Struck | Struck |
Triens | Cast | Cast | Cast | Struck | Struck |
Quadrans | Cast | Cast | Cast | Struck | Struck |
Sextans | Cast | Cast | Struck | Struck | Struck |
Uncia | Cast | Cast | Struck | Struck | Struck |
Semuncia | Cast | Cast | Struck | Struck | Struck |
Quartuncia | – | – | Struck | – | – |
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