1 Sextans

Heavy cast bronzes of this class — attributed to an unidentified Central Italian mint — were produced during one of the most violent centuries in Italian history, as Rome methodically absorbed its neighbors through the Samnite Wars and their aftermath. The issuing authority remains disputed; scholars have proposed various Oscan, Umbrian, and Latin communities, none convincingly. At 44 grams for a sextans, the piece reflects the heaviest end of the aes grave tradition before Rome's Second Punic War monetary reforms drove weights down sharply and permanently.