Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Æ Unit - Augustus SC
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 23 BC - 14 AD |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | RIC I#529, OCRE#ric.1(2).aug.529 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The large monogram SC (Senatus Consultum) is prominently displayed in the center of the reverse within a dotted linear circle, itself enclosed by a finely rendered laurel wreath tied at the base. The wreath is depicted with individual leaves and berries visible along its branches, reflecting careful die engraving. The bold, widely spaced letters fill the central field, emphasizing the senatorial authority under which this bronze coinage was issued. The overall composition is clean and well-centered, a hallmark of Augustan bronze coinage struck by senatorial decree. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | SC (Translation: Senatus Consultum. Decree of the senate.) |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The SC coinage — struck under senatorial authority rather than imperial command — reflects the deliberate constitutional fiction Augustus maintained throughout his reign: that he had restored the Republic rather than replaced it. The Senate retained nominal control over the bronze, copper, and orichalcum coinage while Augustus controlled the gold and silver, a division that was more symbolic than practical but politically essential to the Augustan settlement of 27 BC.
RIC I 529 places this issue among the later Augustan aes series, likely produced at Rome under the supervision of the tresviri monetales.