Brutium Punic 3/8th Shekel
216 – 211 BC
I made some home SpGr estimates and conclude my coin
is probably electrum! The % gold was taken from a conversion table in Jenkins & Lewis, Carthaginian Gold and Electrum Coins,
pg 63. I made 5 series of weight measurements. First I measured the coin dry.
Next I used Teflon dental floss to tie the coin on a string. I filled a small
cup with water, placed the cup on my scale and zeroed the scale. I then held
the coin in the cup, under water, without letting it touch the sides. To “confirm”
my test, I tested one buffalo nickel, two Roman Republican denarii and one silver
nugget.
SpGr
= Wt of coin in air / Wt of coin in water
My results:
Coin
|
SpGr
|
%
Gold
|
Wt,
air
|
Wt,
water
|
Bruttium Punic 3/8th
shekel, test 1
|
11.95
|
27.0
|
2.51
|
0.210
|
Bruttium Punic 3/8th
shekel, test 2
|
11.41
|
17.2
|
2.51
|
0.220
|
Bruttium Punic 3/8th
shekel, test 3
|
10.96
|
9.0
|
2.52
|
0.230
|
Bruttium Punic 3/8th shekel,
test 4
|
11.38
|
16.6
|
2.56
|
0.225
|
Bruttium Punic 3/8th
shekel, test 5
|
12.05
|
28.5
|
2.53
|
0.210
|
Buffalo Nickel
|
8.68
|
4.86
|
0.560
|
|
Denarius, MN.CORDIVS RVFVS, Cr
463/1; #1
|
9.97
|
3.79
|
0.380
|
|
Denarius, MN.CORDIVS RVFVS, Cr
463/1; #2
|
10.20
|
3.62
|
0.355
|
|
Silver nugget
|
10.12
|
6.88
|
0.680
|
|
SpGr
|
% Gold
|
Wt, air
|
Wt, water
|
|
11.95
|
27.0
|
2.51
|
0.210
|
|
11.41
|
17.2
|
2.51
|
0.220
|
|
10.96
|
9.0
|
2.52
|
0.230
|
|
11.38
|
16.6
|
2.56
|
0.225
|
|
12.05
|
28.5
|
2.53
|
0.210
|
|
8.68
|
|
4.86
|
0.560
|
|
9.97
|
|
3.79
|
0.380
|
|
10.20
|
|
3.62
|
0.355
|
|
10.12
|
|
6.88
|
0.680
|
Note that the test is sensitive to the weight in water measurement. This may below where my scale gives good results. I think the results are good enough to say my coin is electrum.
Metal
|
SpGr
|
gold
|
19.32
|
silver
|
10.49
|
Copper
|
8.96
|
Lead
|
11.34
|
Electrum
|
12.17
|
The description below is from the previous post with a few changes.
BRUTTIUM,
Carthaginian occupation. Circa 216-211 BC. EL 3/8 Shekel
Based
on one letter at 12 on obverse, may be struck over another coin???
Obv
- Janiform female heads, wearing wreaths of grain
Rev
- Zeus, holding thunderbolt in right hand, scepter in left, standing in
quadriga right, driven by Nike, who holds reins.
2.5
g
14.7
X 15.9 mm
12
h
F,
light gray / yellow tone, well worn or poorly struck. Rare.
References
(note I have the first 4 books, I do not see the coin in Crawford): Two links
with more info are below.
Jenkins
& Lewis, Carthaginian Gold and Electrum Coins, Group XVI, numbers 487 - 493
(Capua)
1. J&L mention 47 coins tabulated by
Bahrfeldt in Die romische Goldmunzpragung.
2. SpGr for the 8 coins in Group XVI ranges from
11.99 to 12.34. One coin was mentioned in an addenda that was SpGr = 11.92 and
27%. (Somewhere I read, but can not find now, that the %gold dropped into the teens late in the
war)
HN
Italy 2013
Grueber,
BMCRR – Romano Campanian Coinage, Half Stater, No 145 – 149
Sear
Greek Coins, Vol 1 Europe, 287
SNG
Copenhagen 357
Robinson,
Punic p. 40 (Capua)
SNG
ANS 146 (Capua)
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