Gordian II, Sestertius, 238
Rome - Bronze - VF(20-25) - RIC:5
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Bust of Gordian II, laureate, draped, cuirassed, right.
Roma, helmeted, draped, seated left on shield, holding Victory in extended right hand and holding sceptre in left hand
Extremely rare sestertius, with a portrait usually attributed to Gordian II, but which could also be Gordian I, his father. They reigned together between the beginning of 238 and mid-April 238, after Gordian I was proclaimed emperor by the people of the province of Africa, backed by the Senate, naming him emperor with his son Gordian II as co-emperor after disavowing Maximinus I, who provoked uprisings in the empire due to the excessive pressure caused by his fiscal policy, including the population of Thysdrus and Carthage in Africa, where Gordian I was based. RIC IV Gordian II 5 (or RIC IV Gordian I 10)
IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AFR AVG
ROMAE AETERNAE / S C
19.64 gr
Bronze
Bronze (not to be confused with brass, although usage of the two terms varied in times of yore) is an extremely ancient alloy with origins going back to the period around 2,000 BC. Also known...wait for it...as the Bronze Age (who would have guessed?). Back in ancient times, a proportion of 10% tin was added to copper. It was used in particular for luxurious objects such as swords, helmets, hairpins, and even chariot ornaments.
That is by no means insignificant though, as when putting on a bronze helmet you would already find yourself with an extra 3 kilos or so on your head. Add to that your sword and armor…let’s see you advance quickly now!
The heavyweight of alloys one might say*.
The first Western bronze coins probably date back to the end of the 4th century BC and Greece.
Although the coins may be ancient, it is more difficult to date the appearance of a specific word for this alloy. The earliest record is a Venetian manuscript in Greek dating from the 11th century, but it is not impossible that it was in use earlier.
Nowadays, the bronze used in coinage is an alloy of copper (majority) and tin (minority) along with other metals such as zinc, for example, which improves the castability, or nickel, which produces a harder alloy. Its main qualities are undeniably its great resistance to corrosion and mechanical wear as well as...its aesthetic aspect.
The patina of bronze can vary, ranging from verdigris to brown through to black.
*Actually, puns aside, copper and cupronickel have a greater density, for example.
