Roman Coin Basics
The ‘heads’ side (obverse) of a Roman coin normally bears a portrait of the Emperor or of his wife or son with their names and titles. Early roman coins are renowned for the quality of their portraits. The ‘tails’ side (reverse) was used to give out a message, proclaiming the Emperor’s virtues and achievements through various symbolic or more direct images. These include gods and goddesses (Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, etc), personifications of virtues (Peace, Fortune, etc.), military symbols (soldiers, standards, camp gates, etc.), personifications of provinces (Britannia, Hispania, etc) and animals.
1st and 2nd centuries AD
The smallest coin was the copper QUADRANS. A quadrans was the Widow's Mite of the Bible.
The next coin was a copper AS (c 25 mm) which was worth four copper QUADRANTES.
A brass DUPONDIUS (the same size as the as) was worth two asi. Usually the Emperor was shown wearing a radiate crown on this coin (instead of a laurel wreath) to help distinguish it from the similar sized As, though they were also different colours - yellow brass, reddish copper.
A brass SESTERTIUS (30-35 mm) was worth two dupondii. The sestertius was the denomination the romans used to express large values - e.g. land or property values.
A silver DENARIUS (17-18 mm) was worth 4 sestertii, 8 dupondii or 16 asi. A legionary soldier was paid 300 denarii and a centurion was paid 3000 denarii a year but half of this was kept back as payment for food and clothing, so a denarius was probably the equivalent of a £20 note in today’s money and a sestertius about £5.
A gold Aureus was worth 25 denarii but they were not in general circulation and probably only used for banking.
Click the button to read more about 1st and 2nd century coins.
The ‘heads’ side (obverse) of a Roman coin normally bears a portrait of the Emperor or of his wife or son with their names and titles. Early roman coins are renowned for the quality of their portraits. The ‘tails’ side (reverse) was used to give out a message, proclaiming the Emperor’s virtues and achievements through various symbolic or more direct images. These include gods and goddesses (Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, etc), personifications of virtues (Peace, Fortune, etc.), military symbols (soldiers, standards, camp gates, etc.), personifications of provinces (Britannia, Hispania, etc) and animals.
1st and 2nd centuries AD
The smallest coin was the copper QUADRANS. A quadrans was the Widow's Mite of the Bible.
The next coin was a copper AS (c 25 mm) which was worth four copper QUADRANTES.
A brass DUPONDIUS (the same size as the as) was worth two asi. Usually the Emperor was shown wearing a radiate crown on this coin (instead of a laurel wreath) to help distinguish it from the similar sized As, though they were also different colours - yellow brass, reddish copper.
A brass SESTERTIUS (30-35 mm) was worth two dupondii. The sestertius was the denomination the romans used to express large values - e.g. land or property values.
A silver DENARIUS (17-18 mm) was worth 4 sestertii, 8 dupondii or 16 asi. A legionary soldier was paid 300 denarii and a centurion was paid 3000 denarii a year but half of this was kept back as payment for food and clothing, so a denarius was probably the equivalent of a £20 note in today’s money and a sestertius about £5.
A gold Aureus was worth 25 denarii but they were not in general circulation and probably only used for banking.
Click the button to read more about 1st and 2nd century coins.
3rd and 4th centuries AD
This was a time of increasing inflation as the government had to mint more and more money to pay the soldiers of a larger and larger army needed to defend the Empire's frontiers.
As inflation began to bite, a silver ANTONINIANUS was issued - in value a double denarius but it only contained 1½ as much silver! Antoniniani are distinguished by the radiate crown on the Emperor's portrait (instead of the normal laurel wreath). For Empresses, the symbol was a crescent behind the neck. In the third century, Antoniniani were still issued but contained less and less silver until they were made of bronze with a wash of silver. The other coins gradually fell out of use.
In the later 3rd and 4th centuries various attempts were made to reform the coinage and new types of coins were issued. The standard bronze coin was known as a follis and a smaller coin as a cententionalis. The names and values of the smallest coins are not always clear but the reverse (tails side) often have interesting designs. Modern coin dealers classify them by size AE1 (the largest) to AE 4 (the smallest) or classify them simply as nummi (meaning 'coin').
Click the button to read more about 3rd and 4th century coins.
This was a time of increasing inflation as the government had to mint more and more money to pay the soldiers of a larger and larger army needed to defend the Empire's frontiers.
As inflation began to bite, a silver ANTONINIANUS was issued - in value a double denarius but it only contained 1½ as much silver! Antoniniani are distinguished by the radiate crown on the Emperor's portrait (instead of the normal laurel wreath). For Empresses, the symbol was a crescent behind the neck. In the third century, Antoniniani were still issued but contained less and less silver until they were made of bronze with a wash of silver. The other coins gradually fell out of use.
In the later 3rd and 4th centuries various attempts were made to reform the coinage and new types of coins were issued. The standard bronze coin was known as a follis and a smaller coin as a cententionalis. The names and values of the smallest coins are not always clear but the reverse (tails side) often have interesting designs. Modern coin dealers classify them by size AE1 (the largest) to AE 4 (the smallest) or classify them simply as nummi (meaning 'coin').
Click the button to read more about 3rd and 4th century coins.
