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Author Topic: Antonius Pius sestertius  (Read 431 times)

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Offline nikopolis1

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Antonius Pius sestertius
« on: February 25, 2023, 01:58:41 am »
Hi everyone.
One question-by the degree of wear a coin is showing can we aproximatly say when a certain coin was out of monetary circulation?For example-this sestertius we know is minted around 149 A.D .How many years will take to  achieve this wear-like 10,15 or 20 years...

Offline Pete B

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Re: Antonius Pius sestertius
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2023, 10:24:55 pm »
So much depends on Where it circulated: tightly within a community, freely on a trade route, or was it a "pocket piece"? If you want to compare some generalizations, large British coppers of the 18th-19thC, which usually saw extensive circulation/use, would attain the grade of Very Fine within 20 years (less as a pocket-piece). Or , closer to home, Colonials and counterfeit British Halfpence circulated freely up and down the inhabited East Coast from the 1780's to the 1850's (by then, just miserable coppers)

Offline nikopolis1

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Re: Antonius Pius sestertius
« Reply #2 on: March 01, 2023, 11:09:13 am »
Thanks +++

Offline Frans Diederik

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Re: Antonius Pius sestertius
« Reply #3 on: March 02, 2023, 04:24:26 am »
One of the best ways to study wear on Roman sestertii is to look at the coins of 'Le tresor de Garonne', The Garonne Hoard. Over 4000 sestertii and dupondii (few) were recovered from the river since 1965. The earliest coin being issued by Claudius and the most recent one by Antoninus Pius. Coins from the last years of his reign are lacking, so that the composition of the treasure ended around 155 AD. So here we have a hundred years of circulation and indeed, the first century coins are all well worn. There is a wonderful publication of the hoard with all coins illustrated, only available in French.
https://www.amazon.ca/Tresor-Garonne-Etienne/dp/2854081064 cost: nearly $ 300...........


Frans

Offline Frans Diederik

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Re: Antonius Pius sestertius
« Reply #4 on: March 02, 2023, 04:28:29 am »
Picture of the book.

Offline SC

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    • A Handbook of Late Roman Bronze Coin Types 324-395.
Re: Antonius Pius sestertius
« Reply #5 on: March 05, 2023, 10:49:26 am »
The sad thing of course is that wear is really a statistical game and can't be applied to any one specific coin.

Studies like the Garonne one and others related to specific hoards can provide average circulation wear rates - such-and-such percentage weight loss per year - but these are averages for a bunch of coins.  Any one coin can suffer far less or far more wear than the average rate. 

A nearly unworn coin was likely buried or isolated shortly after it was struck, but it could also simply have circulated at a lower velocity in a less monetized region.

On a related note I have been looking for a reasonably priced copy of the Garonne book for years to no avail.  it is the perfect candidate for a scan if someone could get permission.

SC


SC
(Shawn Caza, Ottawa)

Offline nikopolis1

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Re: Antonius Pius sestertius
« Reply #6 on: March 05, 2023, 01:48:46 pm »
This and the other aurelius sestertius from the other tread are part of a small find of 12 sesterti and few other smaller denomination coins .All my questions for grade and wear are because I am trying to pinpoint what historical event was the reason to deposit that find.The lattest coin is this sestertius-149 AD.There is no coins of Aurelius as augustus .The closest major event in the area is the costoboci invasion of 170 AD.But it is a little bit strange for me there is no coin of Aurelius as augustus.Still between 161 and 170 AD there is 9 years .Statistically  ;Dsome shoud be.Of course could be others local events not recorded in history and here some average degree of wear could help to narow the range.Otherwise the early coins of the find are showing similar degree of wear as this Garone hoard..at least from what I can see from the posted photo of the book

 

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