1 As Archaic wheel / Archaic wheel

The so-called aes grave series of central Italy presents persistent attribution problems, and this wheel type is no exception — "uncertain Etruscan mint" reflects genuine scholarly disagreement rather than a gap in research. Haeberlin's foundational work catalogued these by weight standard and typology, but the casting rather than striking technique, combined with the absence of mint signatures, has left the issuing authority contested for over a century. At roughly 159 grams, this piece adheres to the heavy Etruscan libral standard before the progressive weight reductions that followed Rome's expanding monetary dominance in the region during the Second Punic War buildup.