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Cr 21/6 Anonymous "Roma/Roma" series Æ cast Uncia
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c. 269-266 b.c.e. Rome
o: Knucklebone seen from outside
r: Knucklebone seen from inside
Vecchi ICC 46
18.27 gm, 25.00 mm
The knucklebone, used for divination and gaming, is a persistent feature of early Italian coinage, appearing as actual life-sized formed bronze pieces a century or more earlier. This series repeated the types of the bronze fractions almost exactly from the earlier "Dioscuri/Mercury" series, Cr 14 (of which some types in this gallery at some point), on a slightly lower weight standard (~265 gm vs. ~ 322 gm).
This specimen is rather well preserved; the missing metal presumably stayed on the casting sprue when cracked off.
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