The numismatic chronicle and journal of the Royal Numismatic Society

326 FKEDK. A. WALTERS.
a laurel wreath upon his head, and in the left
holding a cornucopiae ; beneath the bust is
a globe.
Eev.M- MAECILIVSTVLLVS.il! VIR-A-A-A.
F-F ; large SC in centre.
Wt. 360 grs.
Size 9| (33 mm.).
This coin is not in Cohen of this size, although
there is a specimen in the British Museum 3 from the
Thomas Collection, weighing 381 grs., and described by
Mr. Grueber in the paper previously referred to. The
writer there describes this coin as a sestertius, and one of
much lighter weight (258 grs.), of the moneyer M. Sal-
vius Otho, he also calls a sestertius, owing to its module
which quite justifies it. In pursuance ofmy suggestion
that these were tentative endeavours, if nothing more,
to place the portrait of Augustus in a larger and more
important manner upon the Senatorial bronze coinage
of Rome as his power became more absolute, I suggest
that the two coins last described, together with those
described as sestertii by Mr. Grueber, are really
dupondii in copper. Although neither of my own
coins can without injury be proved to be in copper,
I have seen a specimen of the Plotius (Cohen 503)
piece, which owing to a cut could be clearly seen
to be of copper, and the specimen in the British
Museum of the Maecilius coin, which is very slightly
patinated, has every appearance of being of copper.
If, as I am convinced, these coins are of copper, they
would only be of about half the value of the sestertii
of aurichalcum, and of the same value as the dupondii
3 B.M.C.: Rom. Rep., ii, p. 105, No. 4682. Willers, op. cit.,
No. 217, describes fifteen specimens of various sizes and weights,
of which the Brit. Mus. specimen is the heaviest.