Dupondius

The dupondius (Latin two-pounder) was a brass coin used during the Roman Empire and Roman Republic valued at 2 aes (1/2 of a sestertius or 1/8 of a denarius).

The dupondius was introduced during the Roman Republic as a large bronze cast coin, although even at introduction it weighed less than 2 pounds. The initial coins featured the bust of Roma on the obverse and a six-spoked wheel on the reverse.

With the coinage reform of Augustus in about 23 BC, the sestertius and dupondius were produced in a golden colored copper-alloy called orichalcum by the Romans and numismatists, and Latin brass by us, while lower denominations were produced out of reddish copper. However, some dupondii were made entirely from copper under Augustus, while under subsequent Nero some aes were made from both orichalcum and copper, instead of only copper for aes coined until then. Therefore, the latter can only be distinguished from dupondii by their smaller size instead of by also the appearance of the metal.