Claudius AE Quadrans Rome AD 41-42 Hand and Scales PNR SC RIC 91 COS II

Claudius, Quadrans, bronze, reign AD 41–54, struck AD 41–42; 3.20 g, 17 mm. Rome mint. Obverse: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG; left hand holding a pair of scales; PNR in exergue. Reverse: PON M TR P IMP P P COS II encircling large S C. Struck at Rome under senatorial authority on a small module bronze flan; die axis about 6h. Reference: RIC I (second edition) Claudius 91.

This quadrans represents the lowest imperial bronze used in daily commerce at Rome. The type with a hand and scales refers to regulation of weights and measures; the PNR inscription is commonly taken to abbreviate a formula connected to standardizing weights, though its exact expansion is debated. The reverse legend details Claudius’s early titles, with COS II dating the issue to the opening years of his reign, and S C indicates the Senate’s authorization of the aes coinage.