Congratulations Bill W4 silver
sestertii rarely appear. They are an interesting coin because I believe they could have been intended to fit in as a fraction of a
quadrigatus because at the time it was struck the
quadrigatus was
still in circulation. The
quadrigatus was weighted at 6 scruples and the half
quadrigatus 3 scruples. The silver
sestertius at around 1
scruple would have been a useful fraction of the larger coins.
The
victoriatus was also about 3 scruples and so would have fitted into the system.
That the
denarius given a value was originally of 10
asses, and
quinarius valued at 5
asses were on a slightly different
weight standard must have caused a lot headaches for traders at the time. Possibly why the silver sestetrius disappears so quickly after the introduction of the
denarius and consequently why they are now such a
rarity.
Best regards,
Steve
