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Crawford 266/2, ROMAN REPUBLIC, C. Cassius Longinus, AE Dodrans
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Rome, The Republic.
C. Cassius Longinus, 131 BCE.
AE Dodrans (17.08g; 29mm).
Rome Mint.
Obverse: Head of Vulcan facing right, with laureate cap; tongs and S:· (value mark) behind.
Reverse: Prow facing right; C·CASSI above; S:· (value mark) to right; ROMA below.
References: Crawford 266/2; Sydenham 503(R5); BMCRR 1035; Cassia 2.
Crawford dated C. Cassius Longinus’ moneyership in 126 BCE; however, in Essays Hersh, Mattingly proposed an earlier date of 131 BCE. Cassius was consul in 124 BCE, so 126 seems a bit late to have begun his climb up the cursus honorum. Crawford proposed that the moneyer might have been the son of the consul of 124, but the absence of any “C. f.” (son of Caius) abbreviation in the reverse inscription suggests otherwise.
The Dodrans was a scarce bronze denomination, produced only twice during the Roman Republic. The first production was this series in 131 BCE; the second production was by M. Metellus in 125 BCE (Crawford series 263, redated by Mattingly). The word “Dodrans” is a contraction of the Latin “de quadrans”, meaning one quarter less than an As. It is identified by the value mark S:· (a Semis and 3 unciae) for a total of 9 unciae, or three-quarters of an As of 12 unciae. In addition to the Dodrans, C. Cassius also struck a bronze Bes of eight unciae. By 131 BCE, the As had been out of production for nearly 15 years, and it’s possible that the Dodrans and Bes were experimental denominations to satisfy demand for larger bronze coins. Alternatively, they may have satisfied the need for special payments to fund corn or wine distributions.
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