1 Triens Archaic wheel / Crescents

The Etruscan bronze coinage of the late third century BC remains one of the least-understood series in Italian numismatics — mint attributions are contested, and the wheel symbol used on issues like this one has been linked to several different communities without scholarly consensus. What is clear is that production was winding down rapidly by the 220s BC, as Roman monetary influence pushed Etruscan autonomous coinage into obsolescence. This piece belongs to the final generation of that tradition.

At 53+ grams, this triens reflects the heavy aes grave standard before the dramatic weight reductions that followed the Hannibalic Wars.