AE Aes Rude - Before 300 BCE

CENTRAL ITALY (Rome?)
8th-3rd Century BCE
Aes Rude (221.1g; circa 60mm long)
Rough cast bronze; as made.

Reference: Vecchi, ICC 1; BMCRR (Aes Rude) 1-11; Thurlow-Vecchi p. 15. pl. 2.

Provenance: Ex Jencek Historical Enterprises, acquired privately 14 Feb 2011 from Frank Kovacs; ex David Hendin (acquired mid-1980's from Italo Vecchi).

The relative abundance of copper in Italy made bronze a natural means of exchange among the people of central Italy. The initial medium was rough lumps of unmarked bronze which, lacking any governmental imprimatur or denomination, were weighed for each transaction.