The Numismatic Chronicle 171 Offprint - Royal Numismatic Society

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104 RICHARD SCHAEFER and ANDREW McCABE 6. Small change issue, non-RRC 113 star-before quadrans (Figs 12, 13) There exist many more numerous star-before quadrantes which cannot to be assigned to RRC 113. The examples illustrated in Figs 12, 13 are better than average, but, compared with both RRC 113 and 196, they show defects. Fig. 12: Small change quadrans Fig. 13: Small change quadrans The lettering is erratic, and the prow designs are irregular in several respects, for example shaky lines occur frequently. There is no convergence into any rostrum tridens; instead the lines of the lower wales continue and never join. The prow-stem varies greatly, as does the line to the right of the apotropaic eye. Instead of being straight, the line is curved on Fig. 12 (and a superfl uous line added higher on the prow-stem) and is missing in Fig. 13. There is often an extra line (especially clear in Fig. 13) just above the deck and under the deckhouse. The three dots below are sometimes irregularly spaced (Fig. 13). Not all these errors, of course, are present on each coin, but there are enough to reveal that they are not from an offi cial mint. The obverses tell a different story. Sometimes they are crude, but at other times quite good (e.g., Fig. 13). But the reverse errors and occasional obverse irregularities on poorer examples, along with the coins’ light weights, indicate that they are part of neither RRC 113 nor 196, but a separate group. We believe that these non-RRC 113 star-before quadrantes form part of the large volume of lightweight semisses and quadrantes termed unoffi cial imitations and small change by Crawford in 1982. 6 Some of these issues are rare, but some are quite common. Crawford did not include these irregular Star quadrantes in his article, presumably because, not noticing their lightness and inferior style, he followed the previous classifi cation as noted in the introduction. Crawford provisionally dated this unoffi cial small change c.100-c.25 BC. The beginning is suggested by the absence of as and sextans imitations; the end-date refl ects Augustus’ large production of quadrantes. Crawford’s main criteria for considering struck bronzes offi cial seem to have been acceptable style and a range of denominations. Apart from one extraordinary issue of semis alone, RRC 82/1, the coin evidence indicates that Rome’s policy was to produce for public use bronze issues containing multiple denominations. After 211 BC, only a handful of very rare issues comprise only one bronze fractional denomination. If we take into account discoveries since Crawford’s RRC was published, fewer than fi ve such issues remain, and these will probably be eliminated in the future. Since the non-RRC 113 star-before quadrantes are common, lightweight, highly irregular 6 Michael Crawford, ‘Unoffi cial imitations and small change under the Roman Republic’, AIIN 29 (1982), pp. 139-164.
ROMAN REPUBLICAN STAR BRONZES, RRC 113 AND 196 105 in style, and comprise only one denomination, we believe that they are an unoffi cial small change issue. Because they were evidently produced in large quantities, the non-RRC 113 quadrantes swamp the genuine RRC 113 Rome mint quadrantes. However, despite their varying designs, their one point of consistency is that they never resemble the RRC 196 asses and semisses with their fat, short, curved prow-stem and other notable features. So we have the answer to the classifi cation riddle. Take the small change star-before quadrans away from RRC 196 and the rest of the star bronzes can be neatly reclassifi ed. This is reinforced by the evidence of weights (see section 8 below) which indicate that these coins were struck on a standard typically a third lower than any other RRC 113 or RRC 196 denomination. 7. Obverse styles of the Period 2 trientes, quadrantes and sextantes As discussed earlier, the Period 2 as and semis can be clearly distinguished by both their obverse and reverse styles. Note that the lower fractions, because their obverses are too inconsistent in style, can be defi nitively distinguished only by their reverses, which clearly differ from Period 1. On the obverse, the Period 2 heads are generally smaller, but in style they widely range from fi ne to crude. Compare for example some other typical coins from the period. Fig. 14: AT sextans RRC [192/5] (in RRC the AT issue is listed from as to quadrans, 192/1 to 192/4, but no sextans was then known; about eight have been found subsequently) Fig. 15: Ass sextans RRC 195/5 Fig. 16: Ass quadrans RRC 195/4 Fig. 17: AT quadrans RRC 192/4 In Fig. 14, the RRC 192 AT sextans has a classic obverse head of fi ne style, as does to a lesser degree Fig. 16, a RRC 195 Ass quadrans. To judge solely by obverse style, they are worthy of the earlier Period 1 coins. But the RRC 195 Ass sextans of Fig. 15 and the RRC 192 AT quadrans of Fig. 17, on the other hand, show crude obverse heads with cartoon-like features such as large staring eyes. Yet all these coins are issues of Period 2. Thus obverse style is not a good guide, and reverse style is the only sure guide to distinguish Period 1 from Period 2.
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