Denarius Crawford 80/1b. Dolphin series (without symbol)

Denomination: Denarius
Era: c. 209-208 BC
Metal: AR
Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma r. with peaked visor. Behind, “X”. Border of dots
Reverse: Dioscuri r.; in linear frame. “ROMA”. Line border
Mint: Sicily (?)
Weight: 3.65 gm.
Reference: Crawford 80/1b
Provenance: Auctiones E-Auction #5, 15-APR-2012

RRC suggests these are the anonymous sibling of the dolphin symbol series; however I believe this is a separate issue. The anonymous coins are consistently of finer style than the symboled coins. The dolphin symboled examples have a somewhat crude style which is unique to the issue, but is rarely seen on the fully anonymous coins (There are occasional exceptions to this. See the next coin in the collection).

Nearly complete and EF with iridescent toning in the recessed areas.

Reference : RRC 80/1b

Collection : Fully Anonymous Early Roman Silver of the denarius system