A Roman Type Set?

1. A Roman Type Set? • There are many recommendations for the collector moving into the area of ancient Roman coins. Decide what you like, decide what to collect, emperors, animals, buildings, etc. Of course, one of the problems with that is that you really can’t be aware of what you want to collect when you haven’t seen the possibilities. • After careful thought, and a great deal of searching, I decided that a type set would be a good start for a variety of reasons: • It would let the collector see a full range of types, which will help in deciding follow-on collecting. • It provides flexibility in price and condition as (for example) one can choose from many Republican serrate denarius, picking the best condition and price that the budget allows. • There is the opportunity to see (and collect) many of the emperors (or focus on a few). So, among the several types that are issued in a given time span you can go after as many different emperors as possible, or you could choose to have an Aureus, Denarius, As, etc of only Augustus. • It affords the opportunity to see a wide variety of inscriptions, reverse types, etc. • There was one problem. I couldn’t find anything that said what a type set might look like. So, using a variety of sources, I have developed one type set that you could choose to pursue. • As you read even a few of the reference works, you quickly come to understand that there are MANY differences of opinion, and that will likely be the case here. You may decide that there are more coins that should be listed as a type because of a major change that occurred that isn’t listed (I’d like to know about those), or that a change that I have listed isn’t really significant. Well, it’s your type set-pick and choose as you like! The list is flexible and one could decide not to go after the listed provincials, AES Graves, you may only want to build one for silver, or bronze, whatever. Tailor it to your own desires. • A last comment. When you left the same looking Indian Head penny collection (if you did), do you still miss the feeling of being “done”? Here are two ideas I’ve used in setting-up my type set. My type set is contained in a 2x2 album by type (to see the changes over time of a particular coin), with the coin inside its flip inserted when I get it (insert the description and let the coin “hang”, then you can see both sides of the write-up and the coin. For those I don’t have, there is a 2x2 piece of paper in the spot that identifies the missing coin. So, make your own album. When the slots all have coins-yep you’re done. • Finally, I use the fill button on the pages that follow to change the box from white to yellow when I have a coin type. This allows to me quickly see what I have and what I need. I’d be happy to email a copy of this to anyone who would like it, so that it doesn’t have to be recreated; just use it or modify it based on the type collection that you’re going after. • If you have major changes that you find, or would like a copy of this please let me know. • Ed Sawyer (esawyer1@comcast.net)

2. Gold (AV) Early Republic Stater Half Stater Late Republic/ Early Imperial Aureus 7.6-8.0g Quinarius 13-16mm; 3.25-3.75g Nero Reduces 7.1-7.4g 64 AD 251-253 AD Heavy/Double (Bino) Lite/Half Aureus Valerian I Lowers content to 70-80% 253-260 AD Aurelian returns content to 98-99% 274 AD Diocletian 294 AD New Aureus 16-22mm; 4-5.5g Quinarius 1.5-2.7g: Extremely rare Quarter Aureus 1.2g: Extremely rare Constantine I 309 AD Solidus 17-23mm; 4.3-4.6g Semissis (Scarce) 16-18mm; 2.1-2.3g 1.5 Scripulum (Scarce) 14-16mm; 1.6-1.7g Theodosius I 383 AD Tremissis 13-16mm; 1.2-1.6g

3. Silver (AR) Early Republic Half Quadrigatus Double Victoriatus Quadrigatus Victoriatus Late Republic/ Early Imperial Round Denarius >4.0g Serrate Denarius Sestertius Quinarius Denarius to 3.0-4.0g 64 AD: Nero Copper added 214 AD: Caracalla Antoninianus (Double Denarius) 215 AD Reduced to approx 3.3g 230 AD Heavy Antoninianus 5.5-7.5g 253-260 AD Reduced to approx 2.7g 260-268 AD Changed to billion 274 AD Aurelian Aurelianianus 20-24mm; 3.5-4.5g Changed to bronze 282-283AD 10% Silver (X ET1 Mark) Half-Argenteus Rare Diocletian 294 AD Argenteus Constantine I 309 AD Heavy Miliarense 23-24mm; 5.1-5.7g Lite Miliarense 21-26mm; 3.9-4.9g 3 Miliarense Siliqua 18-21mm; 2.8-3.8g Centenionalis 23mm; 4.7g Constans 348-350 Reduced to 4.1g 351 AD Bronze AE3 354 AD 355 AD 17-19mm; 1.4-2.3g Bronze AE4 357 AD ½ Siliqua-Rare

4. 500-300 BC AES Rude AES Signatum AE/AES Early Republic AES Grave: Cast Bronze (289 BC) Sextans Unica Semi-Unica Triens Quadrans AS Semis Mid-Republic Struck Bronze Sextans Unica Semi-Unica Triens Quadrans AS Semis Dupondius Quarter Unica Tripondius/Tressis Late Republic/ Early Imperial Orichalcum Orichalcum Sestertius Copper Copper Copper Radiate Crown Added Orichalcum Orichalcum Orichalcum 64 AD: Nero 117 AD Bronze Bronze Double Sestertius 249 AD: Trajan Decius Square Leaded Bronze Post-Reform Radiate 24mm; 5-6.5g Post-Reform Laureate 15-18mm; 1.2-2.3g 294 AD: Diocletian Follis (10.6g) Bronze 1/4 Follis Copper ¼ Follis Half Follis 7.6g Reduced to 19-22mm; 2.6-3.2g Constantine I 309 AD Bronze ½ Centenionalis 2.3g Bronze AE2 Bronze AE3 Bronze AE4 307-308 AD 4.5g 317AD 3.4g 332AD 2.4g 360-363 AD:Julian II Billion AE1: Maiorina 379AD Copper AE1 Copper AE2 Copper AE3 Copper AE4

5. Other Types Including Provincials Bronze Dichalkon Gold Medallion Silver Drachum Silver Tetradrachum 24-31mm; 13-14.7g Silver Tridrachum Bronze Medallion Silver Cistophorus 24-30mm; 9.5-12g Billion Drachum Reduced to 9.5g Bronze Barbarous Radiate Silver Medallion Bronze Drachum Billion Tetradrachum 23-27mm; 9.5-14.5g Bronze Obol Silver Hemidrachm Bronze DiObol Electrum Stater 18-22mm; 7.5-7.9g Copper 18mm; 6.0g Bronze Chalkon Bronze Prutah AE 3/4 AE10 AE11 AE12 AE13 AE14 AE15 AE16 AE17 AE18 AE19 AE20 AE21 AE22 AE23 AE24 AE25 AE26 AE27 AE28 AE29 AE30 AE31 AE32 AE33 AE34 AE35