Antoninianus

The Antoninianus (plural antoniniani) was introduced by Caracalla in 215 AD and was initially valued at 2 denarii, although the antoninianus didn’t weigh twice the denarius. Initially denarii and antoniniani were struck side by side, but eventually the denarius would be completely replaced by the antoninianus. The Antoninianus could be differentiated from the denarius by the presence of a radiate crown worn by the emperor on the obverse of the coin, or a crescent at the shoulders of the female members of the imperial family. This period in time was not a good one for the Roman empire with wars and inflation wreaking havoc on the economy. Initially struck at nearly 50% silver and weighing roughly 4.4 grams, the antoninianus would be debased to a coin weighing barely 2 grams and composed of mostly copper. Coinage reforms under Aurelian improved the appearance of the antoninianus and fixed the silver percentage at 5% for the antoninianus. This new Antoninianus, sometimes referred to as an Aurelianianus, would be