Silver Denarius For Identification #4

The obverse looks distressingly similar to some in the fake reports. FYI, it doesn't seem that there is any legit Pertinax denarius with a PVDICITIA reverse. (Basing that conclusion on a quick search)

Have to ask: Are these ebay purchases? If so, did you check the fake sellers' lists (assuming you know about those lists)?

Okay, I'm done for the evening then.

The only place these were 'dug' from is a product list on Wish.

You may be right @iulius

TO answer this question: yes.

Different coinage systems used different weights. A Roman silver denarius weighed almost, but not quite the same as, a Greek drachm, for example. Even within the Greek series, different standards for the drachm were used at different times.

Within the Roman series, it was not the weight of the denarius that changed so much as the silver fineness, which generally declined over time. In the end, the weight changed too.

As for shape, "round-ish" was always the goal. Some time periods achieved this better than others. In the Roman series, for example, Republican and early Empire coins were generally quite round, with smooth edges. Mid-period coins tend to be splayed out, with numerous cracks and gaps in the rim as the brittle low-silver alloy literally cracked under pressure of being struck into coins. Late Roman coins tend to be quite round and well-centred.

Generally not. The Romans held fairly tight control over their financial system, so the basic standard of the coins (size, weight, fineness, etc) was constant throughout the Empire at any given time period. For most of Roman history, coins were only struck at just one or two mints at any given time; the Romans then used their famously efficient road and sea transport network to distribute the coins to the provinces.