Imperial 27BC-98AD

Roman Imperial 27BC-98AD coins for sale.

Augustus based the Roman Imperial coinage on the aureus at 1/42nd of a pound of gold, which was equivalent to 25 silver denarii, which in turn was equivalent to 16 copper asses. Within this framework, the bronze sestertius was valued at 4 asses and the brass dupondius at 2 asses. The monetary system of Augustus formed the basis of the coinage for two centuries.
Nero first lightened the aureus and denarius in AD64, with debasement afterwards, a trend which would follow the course of the Empire, driven by inflation.