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1 Semuncia Wheel / Axe, struck
| Issuer | Uncertain Etruscan mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 225 BC - 211 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 4.77 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A double-headed axe (bipennis) occupies the central field, presented in a schematic and stylized manner typical of Etruscan bronze coinage. The axe blades are depicted facing outward symmetrically from a central shaft, rendered with broad, flat strokes. The letter 'V' appears as a mark in the field, serving as a control letter or denomination indicator. The surface exhibits characteristic green patina and the flan is irregular in outline, consistent with early hammered bronze production. No additional legend or decorative border is present. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Mintage | ND (225 BC - 211 BC) - With letter F - ND (225 BC - 211 BC) - With letter V - |
| Additional information |
The period 225–211 BC brackets two catastrophic events in Roman-Etruscan history: the Gallic invasion repelled at Telamon in 225 and the aftermath of Cannae in 216, when Hannibal's destruction of a Roman army sent shockwaves through every allied and semi-autonomous mint in northern and central Italy. Etruscan bronze issues of this window are difficult to pin to a single city precisely because civic identity was fracturing under Roman pressure — the attribution "uncertain mint" reflects genuine scholarly disagreement, not incomplete research.
The semuncia denomination places this at the small end of the Etruscan cast-then-struck bronze sequence, a transitional moment when southern Italian striking conventions were displacing the older Etruscan tradition of cast aes grave entirely.