Why have these specimens been dismissed as fakes and not accepted as sestertii of what we call the RRC 448 series?
This date and weight is just right to fit into the revival of small silver denominations alongside the denarius.
Prior to these issues the sestertius seem not been produced by the Roman mint since c. 90 BCE. I say “seem” because other possible sestertii for the interim have come to light.
There is also of course the much discussed Macer piece c. 84 BCE, part of RRC 354, again if genuine.
Maybe I’ll come back and answer my own questions about all this small change one day. Maybe one of you will just tell me.
Liv Mariah Yarrow 