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| O:Trajan wearingradiate crown | R:Tropaion |
| Orichalcumdupondius struck inRome 104 ref.: RIC 586 | |
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| O: Draped bust ofFaustina the Younger | R: SittingPudicitia |
| Orichalcumdupondius struck inRomec. 147–150 ref.: RIC 1404(b) | |
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| O:Didius Julianus wearingradiate crown | R:Fortuna holdingcornucopia andgubernaculum (rudder) onglobe |
| Very raredupondius struck inRome 193 ref.: RIC 12. | |
Thedupondius (Latintwo-pounder) was abrasscoin used during theRoman Republic andRoman Empire valued at 2asses (4/5 of asestertius or 1/5 of adenarius during the Republic and 1/2 of asestertius or 1/8 of adenarius during the time ofAugustus).
Thedupondius was introduced during the Roman Republic as a large bronzecast coin, although even at introduction it weighed less than 2Roman pounds (librae). The initial coins featured the bust ofRoma on the obverse and a six-spoked wheel on the reverse. A loaf of bread or asextarius (c. 0.5 L) of wine cost roughly onedupondius at the height of the Roman Empire, though due to the debasement of thedenarius over the following century, thedupondius was discarded.
With thecoinage reform of Augustus in about 23 BC, thesestertius anddupondius were produced in a type ofbrass calledorichalcum[1] by the Romans and numismatists, while lower denominations were produced out of reddish copper. However, somedupondii were made entirely fromcopper underAugustus, while underNero someasses were made from both orichalcum and copper, instead of only copper forasses coined until then. Therefore, the latter can only be distinguished fromdupondii by their smaller size instead of by also the appearance of the metal.[2][3]
Thedupondius was normally further distinguished from the similarly sizedas with the addition of aradiate crown to the bust of the emperor in 66 AD during the reign of Nero. Using a radiate crown to indicate double value was also markedly used on theantoninianus (doubledenarius) introduced byCaracalla and thedoublesestertius.[4][failed verification] Sincedupondii minted prior to and during the reign of Nero, and occasionally under later rulers, lack the radiate crown, it is often hard to distinguish between theas and thedupondius due to heavypatina which often obscures the coin's original color[citation needed].
An extremely raredupondius from the reign ofMarcus Aurelius, dated to 154 or 155 and in excellent condition, was discovered in 2007 at the archaeological site inDraper's Gardens, London[citation needed].
