Dupondius of Hadrian - Roman Coins Replica
Dupondius of Hadrian
Obverse: Head of Hadrian with radiate crown, inscribed IMP(erator) CAESAR TRAIANVS HADRIANVS AVG(ustus) P(ontifex) M(aximus) TR(ibunicia) P(otestate) CO(n)S(ul) III. Translation: Imperator Caesar Traian Hadrian Augustus, Pontifex Maximus (chief priest), holder of the office of a tribune of the people, consul for the third time.
Reverse: AETERNITAS - AVGVSTI = Eternity of the Emperor. Depicted is Aeternitas, the personification of the cosmos, holding the bust of the sun in her right hand and the bust of the moon in her left.
119 - 121 A.D. minted in Rome
Material: Pewter alloy with patination.
All coin replicas were cast from originals. They are available individually or in different sets.
Surviving prices for the 1st and 2nd century
1 aureus = 25 denarii,
1 denarius = 25 sestertii,
1 sestertius = 2 dupondii,
1 Dupondius = 2 Ass.
A pig costs 75 denarii
"Pecunia non olet!" - Money does not stink
Emperor Vespasian had taken over from his predecessor Nero a state that was almost bankrupt.
Vespasian reorganised the public budgets with great success. His ingenuity in increasing state revenues was great. Among other things, he introduced a tax on public latrines. When his son Titus objected to this, he held some coins from the tax revenue under his nose and asked if this smell bothered him. Titus had to concede that the money did not stink: Pecunia non olet.
The saying has persisted to this day to justify the possession of money from dubious sources of revenue. The public toilets in Paris are still called "Vespasienne" today. In Italy, too, the public toilets are called "Vespasiani".