Silver 2 1/2 Asses Apulu series II

Populonia, the only Etruscan city known to have struck its own coinage rather than relying on Roman or Greek mints, produced this fractional silver during a period of sustained military pressure from Rome. The city's monetary output was tied directly to its iron-smelting economy — ore shipped from Elba was processed here, and the resulting wealth funded both civic life and, almost certainly, mercenary contracts. By the late third century the Romans had effectively absorbed Etruscan political autonomy, and Populonian coinage ceased not long after.

The "var." designation against Vecchi-III#64 suggests a die combination or minor typological deviation not fully catalogued in the standard reference.