WEIGHTS, Roman. Weight (Bronze, 33 mm, 41.52 g), circa 1st-4th centuries AD (?). Cast bronze in the form of a cockle shell. Rev. Blank. Cf. Pera 36-39 (in lead), especially the note on 36. Roma E-Auction 28 (2016), 301 (as Roman Republican 'Cast Aes Signatum'). Minor deposits on the reverse, otherwise, good very fine.
Cast bronzes in the form of cockle shells such as this one were traditionally attributed to the early Roman Republican time, but they have been variously found in Italy, Asia Minor and the Levante, which strongly indicates that they in fact date to the Roman Imperial (or Late Hellenistic?) time. As these shells vary greatly in weight and do not correspond to a known weight standard, it is unclear for what purpose they were made