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Posted 08/20/2014 8:30 pm
One reason the Julio Claudian denarii are very expensive is due to the scarcity of them.
Nero despite being a bit of a clown actually did a few intelligent things ....... Not many but a few.
Silver purity had always been a point of pride for the Romans and the denarius was pure silver. Until Nero that is.
Nero reduced the purity to 90%. As the empire was not in any financial distress and in fact the period is concidered one of prosperity the motive is believed to have been practical and not devious. Ninety percent is much more durable and resistant to wear and tear. In fact it remained the approximate standard for good silver up until recent times. As part of the new standard all earlier issues were recalled and reissued with Nero's beautiful face.
Earlier Republican issues we find and collect today were probably already 'lost' and buried away. Some have noticed that Augustus seems to be more common than the other early emperors. One theory is that there was a sort of "Kennedy" effect. Much like the 1964 silver half dollar people had a tendency to want to keep them for sentimental reasons instead of spending them. The silver coins of Caligula and Claudius are extremely hard to find. As these were probably the most commonly used at the time of the recall it makes sense.
Nero despite being a bit of a clown actually did a few intelligent things ....... Not many but a few.
Silver purity had always been a point of pride for the Romans and the denarius was pure silver. Until Nero that is.
Nero reduced the purity to 90%. As the empire was not in any financial distress and in fact the period is concidered one of prosperity the motive is believed to have been practical and not devious. Ninety percent is much more durable and resistant to wear and tear. In fact it remained the approximate standard for good silver up until recent times. As part of the new standard all earlier issues were recalled and reissued with Nero's beautiful face.
Earlier Republican issues we find and collect today were probably already 'lost' and buried away. Some have noticed that Augustus seems to be more common than the other early emperors. One theory is that there was a sort of "Kennedy" effect. Much like the 1964 silver half dollar people had a tendency to want to keep them for sentimental reasons instead of spending them. The silver coins of Caligula and Claudius are extremely hard to find. As these were probably the most commonly used at the time of the recall it makes sense.
Thanks for the info .
congruently with echizento.
