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IMPERIAL COINAGE OF GALBA
When researching Galba heritage, the Roman Imperial Coinage of Galba is one of the most frequent things you will encounter.
I kept track - in the beginning - of a few listings, but today - that grew out to the largest and most complete information source
available on the internet. Powered by an Access database the more then 1000 unique entries of authentic coins and about 35 forgeries,
are published through a detailed PDF coinsheet. The database is continuously updated and the information it contains, is handled with the utmost
care and precision. Click below on the coin denomination to download those Coinsheets.
Denomination |
Amount |
Weight |
Material |
File size |
Aureus |
25 denarii |
7,20 gr. |
Gold |
 2,3 Mb
|
Denarius |
16 as |
3,30 gr. |
Silver |
26,7 Mb |
Quinarius |
8 as |
1,90 gr. |
Silver |
1,4 Mb |
Sestertius |
4 as |
25,00 gr. |
Bronze |
9,9 Mb |
Dupondius |
2 as |
12,50 gr. |
Bronze |
2,6 Mb |
As |
1 as |
11,00 gr. |
Copper |
5,2 Mb |
 To start with, it's nice to know how the Roman currency was set up, and all was based on the silver denarius
that was struck into 84 of the Roman pound (322,5 gr.). The silver denarius was exchanged against gold coins or base metal
fractional denominations collectively called aes (a term that refers to copper and any of its alloys). The gold aureus,
struck at 40 to the Roman pound, and the denarius were minted from virtually pure metal (99-99.5% fine). In 23 B.C. Augustus
reformed the aes so that fractional denominations were struck in two metals, brass (75% copper; 20% zinc; 5% tin) and pure
copper. The rate of exchange was 1 aureus = 25 denarii = 100 brass sestertii = 400 copper asses. Romans reckoned large sums
in the sestertii, although they paid in aurei or denarii.
In 64, Nero reduced the standard of the aureus to 45 to the Roman
pound (7,20 gr.) and of the denarius to 96 to the Roman pound (3,30 gr.). He also lowered the denarius to 94,5% fine. Successive
emperors lowered the fineness of the denarius.
WAGES:Roman soldiers received top pay for coveted full time employment. The legionary from 46 B.C. to 84 A.D. received
a daily wage of 10 asses or 225 denarii per year; Praetorian guardsmen received 2 denarii per day or 720 denarii per year.
Pompeian laborers in 50 B.C.-79 A.D. earned daily wages of 5 to 16 asses, but employment was seasonal. In the second century
A.D. skilled miners in Dacia earned 6 to 10 asses per day plus room and board when hired on 6 or 8 month contracts.
Galba Coin Anatomy |
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Galba Coin Grading |
An emperor's portrait is normally the first thing that stands out on a roman coin, and in this case it
is easily recognizable as that of Galba. His dignified look befits his position as emperor, but just so there can be no
confusion about his position he is often shown wearing a laurel wreath in his hair. This laurel wreath is the "
Laureate Corona" which during the Republican period was conferred only on one who had achieved the highest
pro-consular dignity. Around 44 BC, Julius Caesar reserved it as a symbol of the supreme ruler and starting with
Augustus it became a symbol of the emperor, conferred only on those holding the title of "Augustus".
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Assigning a grade for the amount of wear is not as complicated as it first appears, if one considers not only the wear on a
coin but also the wear on the dies from which it was struck. Basically less detail means a lower grade, and it really does
not matter if the details are missing due to coin wear, die wear, or weak strike. One should also consider that the two
dies required to strike an ancient coin may have different states of die wear, resulting in the obverse and reverse grading
different (when this happens you get a grade like VF/F meaning the obverse is VF and the reverse is F).
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Galba by Plutarch
