An interesting Roman bronze barrel weight collection

An interesting barrel weight collection arrived this week. I bought the lot because it has a one Roman pound weight with AA. I have a few 1 pound weights, see next post, but this one is probably the oldest.

 top row: 1 As, 1 Semis, 1 Semis (oldest)

Gerhard Hirsch Nachfolger's pic

BALANCES AND WEIGHTS
Late antique Byzantine. According to Bendall, two of the weights are Roman and 8 of the weights are late Roman to early Byzantine. The earlier weights indicate denominations in VNCIA (ounces). The later weights use Greek letters and monograms. ૪ = OY in monogram, OY is an abbreviation for ΟΥΝΓΓΙΑ = UNCIA or ounce. When paired with ૪ the weight denominations are:
     ૪A = 1 ounce
     ૪B = 2 ounces
     ૪ Γ = 3 ounces
     ૪C = 6 ounces, I do not have the symbol to type here.

Lot of 10 bronze barrel weights, 8 inlaid with silver, denominations: 1/8th uncia (ounce) to one Libra (Roman pound).  
See dimensions below. Height = 7 to 33 mm. Diameter = 9 to 43 mm. 
Most have intact silver 

Since the early 1980s in German private collection.

I bought the lot for this one pound weight. The lettering has good silver and the weight (327.7) is very close to the roman pound standard (327.45).

The lot has two half pound weights. I think the second letter on the left is a lower case Zeta, the 6th letter in the Greek alphabet. It would read 6 ounces.

I bought this half pound weight a few years ago. I think it looks better than the two from this lot that were cleaned and retoned (I think).

#	Denomination	Wt Gr Eq Ass	Dimension H X D, mm	On Weight	Bendall
1	As or Libra, 12 ounce	327.7	32.8 X 43.2	A A	23, 27
2	Semis, 6 ounce	155.4 (311)	26.7 X 34.5	VNC VNV
3	Semis, 6 ounce	163.0 (326)	28.5 X 33.9	૪  C	23, 28 ૪ = OY in monogram
4	Quadrans, 3 ounce	82.6 (330)	20.5 X 26.5	૪ Γ	23
5	Sextans, 2 ounce	46.9 (281)	18.9 X 22.5	૪ Β	31
6	Uncia, 1 ounce	25.1 (301)	14.5 X 18.3	૪ A	23, 33
7	Uncia, 1 ounce	26.5 (318)	13.0 X 18.7	VNI VNV
8	Semiuncia, ½ ounce	12.5 (300)	11.3 X 15.1	I B
9	Sicilius, ¼ ounce	6.6 (317)	9.7 X 11.6	C	1.5 Solidus
10	?, 1/8 ounce	3.3 (317)	7.2 X 9.4	Γ	Half Solidus 3 Grammata

Greek alphabet

3 ounce

2 ounce, note the odd shaped B

two 1 ounce weights

I read the right one: VN I.

I do not know the symbols on the left.

Two semis weights and a semis coin.

One sextans weight and a sextans coin.

Romano - Byzantine One Pound Weight

I have picked up several weights in 2019. This one is large: 1 As = 1 Libra = 323.8 grams, 56 x 56 mm and interesting. It is hard to tell from pictures where silver is still in the lettering and where most if missing. You can see two scrapes that I suspect were used to remove silver from the letters.

My pic shows lots of details. 

CNG's pic.

Romano - Byzantine One Pound Commercial Weight, 4th-6th centuries. Æ

Obv - Cross flanked by ÎA (some say Î is LI in ligature = one Roman pound or Libra); all within wreath

Rev - Blank.

Cf. Bendall 51.

VF, green-brown surfaces, a few scrapes.

323.8 grams

56 x 56 mm

I like to compare size of weights and coins. 

One pound weight and some smaller (3oz, 2oz & 1oz) weights.

One As shown several ways. The four scale weights are close to a Roman pound of 327 grams. The two one As coins weigh 204 grams and 40 grams.

How do we know what one As or one Libra is in grams. The weight below tells us that there are 72 solidi per Libra. If a gold solidus weighs 4.54 grams, then the As is 327 grams. 

I found this weight online at: https://funtofil.livejournal.com/67964.html

Circa 4th-6th century. Weight of 1 libra or 72 solidi (Brass ('orichalcum'), inlaid with silver and copper, 51x51x13mm, 320.44 g), a thick, square coin-weight with plain edges (as MAH B1), solidus of 4.45 g. Engraved on the top with inscription three lines, -Α / SOL / LXXII, within curved arch highlighted in silver; above to left and right, cross filled in silver; all within square frame of engraved lines enclosing a copper border. Rev. Plain. Bendall 152 var. An impressive and rare piece with gold-brown surfaces. Very fine or better.

From the Eparch Collection, acquired from a private collection in London.

Pegasus Pegasus Cast Semis Crawford 18.2

Anonymous Cast Æ Semis, Pegasus / Pegasus

Rome, 270 BC

Anonymous Cast Æ Semis. Rome, circa 270 BC.

Obv - Pegasus flying right; below, S in retrograde

Rev - Pegasus flying left; below, S

VF; well centered, high profile casting, small casting flaw near top sprew, good style, dark brown patina on obv & a bit lighter on rev

140.7 grams

52.7 X 49.7 X 16.6 mm

12 h

Crawford 18/2

Sear 530

T&V 9

ICC 34

Sydenham

CRR: 16, plate 5 #16

Aes Grave: 44

Sale Cat: #77 (224 grams) & #78

HN Italy 280;

Haeberlin page 84-85, #1-100; plate 35, #7-10

Garrucci page 19; Table XXXIV #2

Kircheriano Table IX #2

BMC Italy page 51 #7

I like having some of the historic books on cast coins. I have all but BMC Italy (it is on order).

 My coin is on the plate from Haeberline that shows the coin. Above the coin is a copy of Sydenham's Aes Grave. The top left book is Kercheriano and bottom left is Garrucci.

I was able to view the coin at Roma's office in London before the auction. After a week in London, my wife and I traveled to the Shetland Islands for Wool Week. My wife knit our WW hats.

Anchor and Trident Cast Sextans

Anchor and Trident Cast Sextans

ICC 297, 280 to 260 BC, Central Italy

This coin is normally described as rare, RR. I did not find many examples on line when looking for similar coins. I remembered this quote:
Cast coins are rare. Even rarer are collectors of cast coins.

It is hard to see details on the Seller's pics of the trident.

My Pics are not any better. It is hard to see the curls of the trident, and they look a bit different than pics in two old cast coin books.

the picture above from Garrucci, Le Monete Dell'Italia Antica, 1885, shows ornate details on the trident in pic #4.

the picture above from L'Aes Grave Del Museo Kircheroiano, 1839, shows ornate details on the trident like the one above, but not on my coin. I suppose that could be troubling. 

Greek Italy.

Cast AE Sextans, uncertain Central Italy, c. 280-260 BC.

Obv - Anchor; two pellets (mark of value) across the field.

Rev - Trident; two pellets (mark of value) across the field.

Catalogers who describe this coin say they can not place it in another series of cast coins or guess where they were produced.  

The coin is not in Crawford, Grueber, Sear, Babalyon or several other books. I did not find it in the British Museum on line, but do not feel good about my searches. It is in Sydenham’s Aes Grave book, but not his larger book on RR coins. I found a dozen examples in web searches. Size and weight data are given below.

My coin:

·         41.76 grams

·         35.9 X 40.3 X 7.3 mm; this coin is a bit thinner and wider than other Sextans I have

·         RR. Very rare.

·         Green patina, blackish spots.

·         About VF.

References:

HN Italy 377.

L'Aes Grave Del Museo Kircheroiano; Plate 35; Incerte Table 1 of 5; #4

Garrucci, Le Monete Dell’ Italia Antica, Pg 23, #4; pl. XLIV, #4; see Note 1 

Haeberline, Pg 164, 38 examples; pl. 68, #1 & 2; avg wt = 35.0 to 69.7 grams

Vecchi, ICC 297; 38.2 to 69.7 grams

T.V. 214

Sydenham Aes Grave; Pg 105; #109;

Sydenham coin collection Sales Catalogue: Pg 8; #132 (37 gr) & #133 (43.2 gr); plate IX – X;

.

	eem data	Hab data	Eq As
Weight	41.80		eem	haeb
Weight - max	54.30	69.7
Weight - min	33.30	34.9
Weight - avg	45.4	51.0	272	306
Weight - st dev	5.9	13.8
Number	14	38	note that Haeberline drops the lowest 7 weights, I added them back
			note I droped the highest weight (108 grams), it was twice the next highest weight
Diameter - max	40.3
Diameter - min	35.9
Diameter - max	40.3
Diameter - min	36.0
Diameter - avg	37.417
Diameter - st dev	1.580

Note 1: Garrucci gave a weight for this coin, but I could not figure it out even with the help of google translate.
Pesa un' oncia e 22 denari (It weighs an ounce and 22 denier)

Voting in Republican Rome

I picked up two coins this week to make a small set of RR coins with voting on them. I suspect that there are some control marks that involve voting. If I find some, I will post them.

Date	Moneyer	Obv	Rev	Crawford #
-126	C.CASSI C. Cassius Longinus	Roma, voting urn behind	Libertas in quadriga, pileus	266.1	Top L
-112	P·NERVA P. Licinius Nerva	Roma holding shield & spear, crescent	Voting scene, three citizens in the comitium	292.1	Top R
-63	L CASSI LONGIN Lucius Cassius Longinus	Veiled head of Vesta letters on obv spell   L CASSI	Voter dropping tablet marked V (TI ROGAS) into cista, on R	413.1	Btm R
-55	Q CASSIVS VEST   C. Cassius Longinus	Veiled head of Vesta	Temple of Vesta, inside curule chair, voting-urn left, ballot with A C on right	428.1	Btm L

The coins above have been used as book covers.