When you finish this last section click on a selection at the bottom to review a section or return to the main page. The ancient name for this denomination is not known. Inflation made this larger coin desirable for commerce. Debasement of the silver used for coinage continued at an accelerated pace after the introduction of the antoninianus until there was so little silver in the coins that a thin wash was applied to make the copper look silver. Since this silver layer was so thin many, especially lower grade, coins of this type now appear wholly bronze.
Examples exist that appear to be mint state but are without a trace of silver.
Toward the end of the third century AD monetary reforms were put into place to shore up the failing economy. Monetary change took place at such a rapid rate over the next two centuries that collectors often classify coins according to their size using a scale with AE1 being the largest and AE4 the smallest. In some cases we know the names of some denominations but more research is needed before this period is fully understood. Silver and larger bronzes were produced more rarely and are not likely to show up in the collection of a beginner. Bronze coins of the late Roman period frequently make up a major part of a beginning collection.