Coin (reverse), Denarius serratus, of Caius Marius Caii filius Capito

This silver coin was minted in Rome by Caius Marius Capito, son of Caius, in 81 BC. It is a type known as a denarius serratus, due to its serrated edge. It was a special issue, as indicated by the legend 'S.C'. This picture shows the reverse of the coin.

The reverse depicts a ploughman with a yoke of oxen. The letters 'CXXXIIII' above are a mint control-numeral. The inscription below, 'C.MARI.C.F', refers to the moneyer. The legend 'S.C' below this, almost worn away, stands for 'senatus consulto'.

In exceptional cases the Senate ordered officials to strike special issues. Some coins of this moneyer do not have the legend S.C, but far more coins survive with it. He was probably given special instructions to produce an extra batch of denarii.

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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