Crawford 038/5, ROMAN REPUBLIC, Anonymous (Semilibral) Series, AE Sextans

Rome, The Republic.
Anonymous (Semilibral) Series, 217-215 BCE.
AE Sextans (24.25g; 31mm).
Rome Mint.

Obverse: Mercury facing right wearing petasus; ●● (mark-of-value=2 unciae), behind.

Reverse: Prow right; ROMA above; ●● (mark-of-value=2 unciae), below.

References: Crawford. 38/5; Sydenham 85; BMCRR 59.

Provenance: Ex Burgan Numismatique Auction (17 Nov 2017), Lot 102; ex Etienne Page Auction, Hotel Drouot (1972).

The economic hardship imposed by Hannibal’s invasion led to a rapid decline in the weight of Roman bronze coins, resulting in the adoption of a semi-libral bronze standard (AE As of ½ Roman pound) and eventual elimination of cast coins. From 217-215, Rome produced two, contemporaneous series of struck bronzes on this new, semi-libral weight standard. From hoard evidence, we know the first of the two series was Crawford 38, consisting of “prow” types derived from the libral and semi-libral prow Aes Grave (Crawford 35 and 36) that preceded it. These coins were almost certainly produced in Rome and likely also in satellite military mints as needed. The second series of struck semi-libral bronzes was the enigmatic Crawford 39 series, with its unusual types (see them in this gallery), production of which commenced after the start of the 38 Series prow-types (hoards containing 39s almost always include 38s) and produced in much smaller numbers than the huge 38 Series. The Crawford 38 series of struck bronzes, to which the above coin belongs, consisted of only four denominations: sextans, uncia, semuncia and quartuncia. In addition, Aes Grave production continued on a semi-libral basis for the As, Semis, Triens and Quadrans. Those Aes Grave denominations would later be replaced with struck coins when the weight standard reduced even further.