Serrated

Having notched or toothed edge. The predominant "serrati numi" types are Seleucid Kingdom bronzes and denarii of the Roman Republic. The fabric of the two types is quite different. The Seleucid bronze flans appear to have been open cast in wells shaped like an old-fashioned bottle cap. The purpose of the serrated edge appears to have been purely decorative. The Roman Republic denarii appear to have been cast as regular flans and then notches were cut into the edge before striking. The Roman effort appears to have been an anti-counterfeiting measure; showing the inside of the coin. This effort was, however, not completely successful as silver plated with copper core denarii serrati are known.

FORVM's Seleucid Serrate Bronze Quick Attribution Tool ©

Ruler, reign	Obverse (right unless indicated)	Reverse	Spaer pg	SGCV II	HGC 9	SC II
Seleukos IV, 187 - 175 BC	Apollo long hair, laureate & diad	Apollo leaning on tripod, examining arrow (AE21-24)	122	6968	584	1315
Seleukos IV, 187 - 75 BC	Dionysos w/ivy	Prow left	126	6970	586	1316/1321
Seleukos IV, 187 - 175 BC	Artemis w/quiver	Artemis standing, torch in left, stag right	128	6971	591	1317
Seleukos IV, 187 - 175 BC	Veiled female (Laodike IV)	Elephant head left, ΣΕΛΥΕΚΟΥ below	128	6972	592	1318/1332
Antiochus IV, 175 - c. 165 BC	Veiled female (Laodike IV)	Elephant head left over prow left, ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ below	138		686	1477
Antiochus IV, 175 - c. 165 BC	Apollo diad, control mark l	Apollo std l on omphalos, arrow in r, left on bow, apluster l	146		725	1478
Antiochus IV, 175 - c. 165 BC	Antiochus rad & diad, fillet border	Veiled & draped goddess (Hera?), long torch or scepter in r	156	6994	726	1479
Demetrius I, 162 - 150 BC	Apollo	Tripod (AE24-27)	180	7026	821	1644/1648
Demetrius I, 162 - 150 BC	Artemis w/quiver	Bow and quiver	180	7027	826	1645
Demetrius I, 162 - 150 BC	Horse head left	Elephant head right	180	7028	833	1646
Demetrius I, 162 - 150 BC	Artemis w/quiver	Apollo standing left, arrow in r, left on grounded bow	180		852	1647
Alexander I, 150 - 145 BC	Alexander diad	Zeus enthroned left, Nike in r, long scepter in l	198	7043	909	1818
Alexander I, 150 - 145 BC	Alexander diad	Athena standing left, Nike in r, left on grounded shield	198		900	1793
Alexander I, 150 - 145 BC	Alexander diad	Prow left	198		925	1814
Alexander I, 150 - 145 BC	Alexander diad	Tripod (AE16-19)	198		926	1819
Alexander I, 150 - 145 BC	Alexander diad	Apollo seated l on omphalos, arrow in r, left on bow	200		907	1816
Alexander I, 150 - 145 BC	Alexander diad	Owl standing facing	202	7045	920	1794
Demetrius II, 145 - 138 BC	Demetrius diad, youthful	Demeter veiled & draped, long torch in r	235	7069
Antiochus VI, 144 - c. 142 BC	Antiochus diad & rad	Elephant left (AE19-24)	240	7081	1043	2006
Antiochus VI, 144 - c. 142 BC	Antiochus diad & rad	Apollo leaning on tripod, examining arrow	240	7082	1046	2023
Antiochus VI, 144 - c. 142 BC	Antiochus diad & rad	Panther walking left, palm in mouth, right fore-paw raised	240	7083	1048	2007
Antiochus VI, 144 - c. 142 BC	Antiochus diad & rad	Nike walking l, wreath raised in r, palm in left	240	7084	1052	2024
Antiochus VI, 144 - c. 142 BC	Antiochus diad & rad	Horse walking l, right foreleg raised	242		1054	2025
Alexander II, 128 -123 BC	Dionysos w/ivy	Tyche standing left, rudder in r, cornucopia in l	312	7133	1166	2242
Alexander II, 128 -123 BC	Elephant head	Eagle l, wings open	318		1178	2243

Serrati Republican Denarii ©

by Alexandru Marian

Those of you who are familiar with the republican coinage, surely know a particular type, called "serrati." Since I saw my first serrati, I have been fascinated by them, wondering the purpose of the serration and what manufacturing process was used to create them. After discovering the internet, and upon the acquisition of my first serrati, I started looking for information about them. The questions I wanted to answer were: Why were they made? And how were they made? Despite my efforts, I did not find a satisfactory answers. A few lines here and there, only stating that it is not known how they were made of if they had a special purpose. It was implied that the flans were probably cut with a chisel, before striking.

Since I am a "technical guy", I said, "let's give it a try." I carefully examined the cuts on a sample of serrati. It was immediately clear the cuts were made before striking. What struck me is, the cuts were not perpendicular to the coin surface, but they fell from right (on the bottom) to left (on the top), like this:

\\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\

Now let's have a look at the edge of an actual coin. All the images below can be enlarged by clicking on them.

I will refer to the angle between each serrati cut and perpendicular to the coin's surface as the alpha angle. The alpha angle is present on every serrati coin I have studied. With only one exception, each coin had the cuts falling from right to left as in the image above. On the single exception, the cuts were also angled, but fell in the opposite direction.

Speculating on the cause for of the alpha angle and the single variation from the normal right to left angle, I developed my hypothesis. The cuts were made by striking the flan on the edge with a sharp tool, most likely a chisel in a form similar to a butcher's cleaver. One hand held the cutting tool and the other hand held the flan with pliers and rotated the flan by rolling it on a surface. If the flan was held in comfortable natural way, in front of the body, the normal arm movement would create cuts with the alpha angle. The right to left alpha angles would result from cutting by men holding the cutting tool in the right hand. Since most men are right handed, this explains why most serrati have a right to left alpha angle. The single reversed alpha angle observed would be the result of a left handed worker holding the cutting tool in the left hand. The diagram below illustrates my hypothesis.

I was determined to test my hypothesis. First, I made an iron tool resembling the tool above. Then I took a modern silver coin, of the same thickness as a republican denarius and copied the process. The image below shows the result after cutting.

The next step was to imitate the die strike process. I placed the coin on an iron surface and smashed it with a hammer. You can see the results after striking in the images below:

My test coin serrati features are almost identical to Roman serrati denarii. Since I am right handed, the alpha angle is from left to right. The cuts are somewhat narrower than on the ancient coins, apparently because my cutting tool was thinner than those used by the Roman mints. My test results provide convincing evidence to support my hypothesis.

|Dictionary of Roman| Coins|

Please add updates or make corrections to the NumisWiki text version as appropriate.

Serrati Nummi.--Coins are thus called which have their edges regularly notched round like the teeth of a saw. These serrated or denticulated; medals are common amongst the products of the consular mint up to the time of Augustus, after which scarcely one is to be found.

Thus specimens of this ancient practice are seen on the coins of Antonia, Aquilia, Claudia, Cornelia, Domitia, Mamilia, Maria, Memmia, Papia, Porcia, Postumia, Procilia, Roscia, Sulpicia, and other moneyers.

It was a precaution adopted, as Pinkerton observes, by incision; to prevent forgery, by showing the insides of the coin. "But," adds this scientific numismatist, "the old forgers also imitated this; and I have a serrated consular coin, of which the incisions, like the rest are plated with silver over copper."--From a brief passage in Tacitus (l.v. De Mor. Germ.), it would seem that the Germans had a partiality for this class of Roman money--"Pecuniam probant veterem et diu notam, serratos, bigatosque."

The brass coins of the Syrian kings (such as the Seleucidae) also exhibit the same peculiarity; but this probably was done to them as an ornamental feature, and the metal was cast in that shape before they were struck.

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