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Silver 2 1/2 Asses Female head series I
| Issuer | Populonia |
|---|---|
| Year | 301 BC - 206 BC |
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| Value | 21/2 Asses (2.5) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Draped female head facing right, the hair arranged in an elaborate tied-up coiffure with locks falling to the nape of the neck, rendered in fine archaic Etruscan style. The facial features are delicately modeled with a naturalistic profile. The numeral mark of value appears in the left field behind the head, denoting the denomination of 2½ Asses. The relief is crisp against a smooth, slightly irregular flan typical of early Etruscan hammered coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Reverse is entirely blank, the coin being uniface with no design, legend, or decorative element struck on this side. The surface of the flan retains the characteristic uneven texture resulting from the hammering process, with natural flow lines and slight irregularities consistent with Etruscan minting practice of the period. |
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| Additional information |
Populonia, on the Etruscan coast north of Piombino, was anomalous among Italic cities in striking coins almost exclusively in its own name rather than through a league or federal authority — and uniquely, it minted in all three metals independently. This fractional silver belongs to a series probably tied to Populonia's role in the iron trade out of Elba, where the metal was smelted and shipped, requiring small-denomination coinage for local commercial transactions that bronze alone couldn't efficiently handle.
The Female Head series represents one of the earlier silver groupings, predating the city's absorption into the Roman sphere after the Social War period effectively ended meaningful autonomous Etruscan coinage.