Bruttium, Croton, Stater

Agrippa, Died 12 BC, Rome, Struck under Caligula, As, 11.25g. BM (Tiberius)-161, C-3, Paris-77, RIC-58. Obv: M AGRIPPA L – F – COS – III Head l. wearing rostral crown. Rx: S C Neptune standing l. holding dolphin and trident.

Antoninus Pius Fourrée Denarius. Rome, AD 140-143. ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS III, laureate head right / PROVIDENTIAE DEORVM, winged thunderbolt. For prototype, cf. RIC 80a; RSC 681.

Fourrée
** For those not familiar with the term fourree, it is a French word meaning filled, which in numismatics describes a coin with a higher purity silver (and occasionally gold) foil over a baser metal core of usually a copper alloy. Most fourree are ancient counterfeits by counterfeiters who’s intent was to pass them as solid metal coins. There is debate on possible officially minted fourree coins, but other than the emergency tetradrachma of Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian war and some Claudius fourree found in England which are questionable, experts believe all fourree coins are ancient counterfeits.**