Crawford 089/3, ROMAN REPUBLIC, Club Series, AE As

Rome. The Republic.
Club Series, 208 BCE.
AE As (54.36g; 37mm).
Southeastern Italian Mint.

Obverse: Head of Janus; I (mark of value = 1 As) above.

Reverse: Prow facing right; club, above; I (mark of value), before; ROMA, below.

References: Crawford 89/3; Sydenham 213; BMCRR 312.

Provenance: Ex Roma E-Live Auction 2 (30 Aug 2018), Lot 495.

Club Series Asses are massive. Crawford suggests that the weight standard of this series was based on an As of approximately 54 grams, and the weight of this well-preserved example is consistent with that proposed weight standard. The fabric of this coin and other examples (see, e.g., McCabe “Anonymous Struck Bronze Coinage,” example RRC89.3.3) display a pronounced, conical-shaped flan consistent with flans produced in open molds. Note how the reverse face of this coin has a much smaller diameter than the obverse face, evidencing the conical flan.