Roman Republic - rarely seen coins

Aes Grave with little evident wear are usually referred to by the term as-cast. This can hide a multitude of sins, as-cast coins very often coming from poorly executed or worn moulds, and later pieces are often of execrable style. The later Aes Grave series, particularly the prow-left post-semilibral Crawford 41 series, is the most likely source of an as-cast coin for your collection, evidently because these coins were demonitised after the reformed coinage of 211BC was introduced, but regardless of actual wear or circulation these coins often rate only VF or less even in as-cast condition. The example illustrated above is a rare example of an as-cast early aes grave that, apart from the evident and detracting casting flaw, rates EF for wear, style, execution, flan etc. The three-dimensional tulip-form thunderbolt is rather interesting as it contrasts with all those two-dimensional thunderbolts normally seen on coins. Is this what Romans really thought a thunderbolt looks like, a budding flower with darts of fire? The dolphin is rather more prosaic as we all know what a dolphin looks like; it is in fact truly unworn in this example but rather marred by the casting flaw straight in front of its head. A much nicer Aes Grave than normal, found on VCoins.

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photo: Lodge Antiquities

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• #1 Comment from beemaniac 
  16/05/08 17:08 | Permalink

  You might compare the form with that of the Tibetan thunderbolt symbol called a dorge.