Neat little bronze provincial - a happy impulse bid/buy

[CPK]

In Savoca's recent Silver Auction (171st) there was this little Claudian bronze coin from Alexandria, Egypt. For some reason it just appealed to me, so I slapped on a low bid, and won! Apparently, I was the only bidder. 🙂

 

Part of the appeal for me is the excellent condition, unusual for these little Alexandrian bronze coins - the well-used, small change of Roman Egypt. More often than not they are badly worn and corroded, not to mention poorly struck. But the portrait on this one is remarkably detailed and clear, and the eagle on the reverse is equally sharp and distinct. It's well-centered, with nice smooth brown surfaces.

Additionally, this type is somewhat rare with only 4 examples cited in the online RPC and none elsewhere that I could find. The two on ACSearch.com - including this coin - are among the four cited on RPC. Of course, there's nothing more common than a rare provincial coin but I still find it interesting - and having my coin published on RPC online is a pretty cool bonus.

I'd love to get one of the little Claudius/crocodile dichalkon(s?) but they don't come up for sale very often, and even then it's rare to find a nice crocodile. Then there are the ones struck under Tiberius with a hippo. I think these little fractional bronze coins from early Roman Egypt could be a fun collecting focus.

Feel free to post up your own tiny Alexandrian bronze coins, your happy impulse buys, or anything else relevant!

 

 

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

Wondering about the purchasing power of these small coins. A loaf of bread? Some legumes? For that matter could ask the same question about the drachmas and tetradrachms.

Nice pick up!

Edited September 4, 2023 by Ancient Coin Hunter

[CPK]

46 minutes ago, Ancient Coin Hunter said:

Wondering about the purchasing power of these small coins. A loaf of bread? Some legumes? For that matter could ask the same question about the drachmas and tetradrachms.

Nice pick up!

Good question! I recently read Prof. Kenneth Harl's book Coinage in the Roman Economy and he writes:

"Residents of Egyptian towns and villages in the Fayyum paid substantially less for their bread in ca. 50...pricing of bread suggests that wages were well in excess of bare subsistence levels...

"Egyptian laborers hired by estates for agricultural tasks in ca. A.D. 75-125 received only three to seven times the going price of bread (daily wages of 3 to 7 obols), but they were customarily provided with their food and drink.

"In Egypt, the scribes operating the record office at Tebtynis in 46/7 bought daily food and drink out of modest fees of 1 to 7 obols charged for writing documents...Common fish sold by weight, eggs, beer, dried fruits, vegetables, oil for dinner, and condiments each were purchased for modest sums of 1 to 3 obols. In short, in about A.D. 50 a petty bureaucrat in a Fayyum town of 4,500 souls ate well at a price of 1 to 2 bronze drachmae each day or what he earned by writing three or four routine documents. A humbler family of four at Tebtynis could buy its annual wheat, beer, and olive oil for 125 tetradrachmae or, if wishing the snob appeal of wine, 150 tetradrachmae."

-Kenneth Harl, Coinage in the Roman Economy, p. 278-280.

I would guess that a dichalkon would roughly correspond to the imperial quadrans in buying power - in other words, enough for a snack or a drink. Does anyone know the relative value for these denominations of early Roman Egypt?

 

[Amarmur]

Diocletian Roman Egypt with Athena reverse. I enjoy Roman Egypt coins they are very distinct, recognizable, and like animated cartoons. 

[David Atherton]

2 hours ago, CPK said:

Good question! I recently read Prof. Kenneth Harl's book Coinage in the Roman Economy and he writes:

"Residents of Egyptian towns and villages in the Fayyum paid substantially less for their bread in ca. 50...pricing of bread suggests that wages were well in excess of bare subsistence levels...

"Egyptian laborers hired by estates for agricultural tasks in ca. A.D. 75-125 received only three to seven times the going price of bread (daily wages of 3 to 7 obols), but they were customarily provided with their food and drink.

"In Egypt, the scribes operating the record office at Tebtynis in 46/7 bought daily food and drink out of modest fees of 1 to 7 obols charged for writing documents...Common fish sold by weight, eggs, beer, dried fruits, vegetables, oil for dinner, and condiments each were purchased for modest sums of 1 to 3 obols. In short, in about A.D. 50 a petty bureaucrat in a Fayyum town of 4,500 souls ate well at a price of 1 to 2 bronze drachmae each day or what he earned by writing three or four routine documents. A humbler family of four at Tebtynis could buy its annual wheat, beer, and olive oil for 125 tetradrachmae or, if wishing the snob appeal of wine, 150 tetradrachmae."

-Kenneth Harl, Coinage in the Roman Economy, p. 278-280.

I would guess that a dichalkon would roughly correspond to the imperial quadrans in buying power - in other words, enough for a snack or a drink. Does anyone know the relative value for these denominations of early Roman Egypt?

 

Well, this has inspired me to crack open my copy of Harl's book. It's been over a decade since I've read it ...

BTW, superb coin!

[shanxi]

Nice example, I like these small Alexandrian coins

Here is another Claudius bronze coin from Alexandria

 

Claudius
Alexandria, year 13, AD 52-53
Æ Diobol
Obv.: [TI] KΛAΥ KAI CEB[AC GEΡMA], laureate head right
Rev.: AΥTO [KΡA], L-IΓ, eagle standing right, head left, wings closed
Æ, 8.46g, 26.6mm
Ref.: Dattari 156; Geissen 105

 

[Parthicus]

I have a Claudius diobol with hippo reverse:

 

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

It is certainly a pleasant impulse buy.  I have nothing to show for Claudius from Egypt.