Roman, Tessera, Domitian to Antoninus Pius, 81-161 A.D

RULER: Domitian to Antoninus Pius
DATE: 81 - 161 A.D
DENOMINATION: Tessera
MATERIAL: Bronze, AE
SIZE & WEIGHT: 19 mm, 2,8 gr
OBVERSE: Modius with three grain ears
REVERSE: Cantharus
REFERENCES: C. VIII p. 272, 55.

Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export Licence. If you are from outside the European Union, we will have to apply for the export licence again for your country, this takes 3 to 5 weeks and has a cost of 5% of the hammer price, this amount will be added to the final invoice.

In ancient Rome, the term "tessera" was also applied to small tokens or objects used in ways beyond mosaics, particularly in the realm of coinage and commerce. While not strictly currency, tesserae often functioned in similar roles, serving as token coins or vouchers within specific economic contexts. Unlike standard Roman coins, tesserae were typically made from cheaper materials such as lead, bronze, or clay, making them accessible for everyday use by a wider portion of the population. These tokens were occasionally issued by private individuals, businesses, or local municipalities and could be exchanged for goods, services, or even certain privileges within Rome and throughout the Empire.

Roman tesserae also played a significant role in providing access to state-sponsored grain distributions (known as annona) and other public benefits, especially for poorer citizens in urban areas like Rome. These tokens, sometimes known as "tessera frumentaria," could be exchanged at designated distribution centers to receive rations of grain or other staples. The presence of these tesserae helped Rome manage its social welfare system and guaranteed that resources were distributed to citizens in a controlled, organized manner. In this sense, tesserae were invaluable to the logistical structure of ancient Rome, allowing for systematic and equitable distribution while minimizing fraud or misappropriation of state resources.

The design of tesserae was often simple, with inscriptions or symbols that denoted their intended use, issuer, or value. These inscriptions could include references to the specific goods or services redeemable with the token, as well as the official entities or institutions that issued them. Occasionally, tesserae would bear the likenesses of emperors or deities, similar to regular coinage, lending an air of authority and legitimacy to the tokens. While tesserae did not replace coins in formal commerce, their usage provided a flexible and pragmatic solution to meet the everyday needs of Rome's vast population, especially in environments like marketplaces, theaters, and other communal venues. These tokens offer modern archaeologists and historians a glimpse into the economic and social mechanisms that helped support daily life in the Roman Empire.