Roman republic - semilibral quadrans Hercules! (AP26101)

Anonymous. Semilibral Quadrans, circa 217–215 BC. Rome.

Obv: Head of Hercules right, wearing boar skin headdress; three pellets (mark of value) to left.

Rev: ROMA. Bull charging right; three pellets (mark of value) above, serpent below.

Crawford 39/2; RBW 106; Sydenham 94.

Bronze, 35 mm, 39.04 g.

This exceptional piece belongs to the earliest and heaviest phase of Roman bronze coinage, struck on the semilibral standard during the Second Punic War. The weight of 39.04 g is fully consistent with this standard, under which the As weighed approximately 136 g, placing the quadrans at around 34–40 g. The iconography is striking: Hercules wearing the skin of the Erymanthian Boar — the third Labour — on the obverse, paired with a charging bull trampling a serpent on the reverse, a motif with strong Sicilian religious resonance. The addition of ROMA in exergue asserts Roman authority at a critical moment in the conflict with Carthage.