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Coin (obverse), Denarius, of Aulus Postumius Spurii filius Albinus

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minted in Rome

Coin (obverse), Denarius, of Aulus Postumius Spurii filius Albinus
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This silver coin was minted in Rome by Aulus Postumius Albinus, son of Spurius, around 95 to 90 BC. It is a type called a denarius, the most common Roman silver coin. This picture shows the obverse of the coin.

The obverse depicts Apollo, the Greek god of light, healing and prophecy. Behind him is a star. The letter 'X' harks back to the mark of value placed on older denarii, as does the legend 'ROMA' (Rome) below.

Most coins of the Roman Republic were issued by officials called moneyers. They may have been elected, perhaps annually. From the 2nd century BC there were three moneyers each year. This moneyer also struck a joint issue with his fellow moneyers. The Roman currency system included the denarius (plural: denarii), a small silver coin, as the most common coin in circulation. Classical historians regularly say that in the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire the daily wage for a laborer was one denarius. The denarius was first struck in 211 BC during the Roman Republic, valued at 10 asses, giving the denarius its name which translates to "containing ten". In 118 BC it was re-tariffed at 16 asses, to reflect the decrease in size of the As. The As was a bronze or copper coin. The denarius continued to be the main coin of the empire until it was replaced by the antoninianus in the middle of the 3rd century AD.

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