Gilded post-260 AE coins

[cliff_marsland]

I was wondering; what was the main reason for gilding regular coins, such as an AE3 (which is the type I've seen the most of), or a silvered Denarius , etc?  Were most of them done by private individuals for jewelry or were they low-end presentation pieces at donatives?

[PeterD]

I have not seen any gilded coins of the period. Most higher value billon coins up to the mid- 4th century were  silvered to differentiate them from lower value base-metal fractions. Certainly this was official as an imperial decree has survived prohibiting the removal by 'sweating' of silver from coins. Surviving coins have mostly lost their silver coating. Sometimes the coating is very thin, allowing the copper to shine through, giving a gilded appearance.

[cliff_marsland]

I've seen one gilded Aurelian Denarius, and maybe 4 or 5 gilded AE 3's over the years, each with bona fide gilding, or what was left of it.

[cliff_marsland]

P.S.  The majority of them that I've seen are Constantius, Valens, or that period.  A couple seemed to be clumsy Solidus ancient fakes, some were not.  I was just wondering if anyone had a theory of whether the ones not made as forgeries were done as aftermarket jewelry by the general public or that a few were done by the government at public or army donatives.

They don't seem to come up very often, I see maybe 1-3 a year for sale.