20 Euros Roman Aureus of Augustus

This piece belongs to Spain's long-running series reproducing ancient Roman coin types in modern gold, struck to the approximate weight and dimensions of the original aureus as it circulated during the Augustan period. The aureus at that time was set at 1/40 of a Roman pound, making Augustus's standardization of the denomination one of the more consequential monetary decisions of the early imperial period — it held remarkably stable for nearly three centuries before Nero's first debasement.

The Royal Mint of Spain has issued these reproductions in .999 fineness, notably purer than the originals, which typically ran between 98% and 99% gold under Augustus before later emperors quietly reduced the standard.