Sestertius of Nero
AD 64 ・ bronze ・ 1st century ・ Rome
The great brass sestertius was the unit in which Romans counted prices. This piece was struck in AD 64—the same year Nero carried out the first debasement, cutting the weight and fineness of the denarius. A coin from the year when, behind the splendid bronze, the thinning of the silver quietly began.