(D) Saver was the earliest, and always re mained the standard, coinage of Greece. II was introduced into llome n.e. 21;8, and was universal in ancient, as it. is in modern, times. During the Middle Ages it was the standard currency, but is now replaced as such by gold in most countries, being used only for subsidiary coinage. (E) Billon is a name applied to certain base coins of ancient times, having silver for a basis with a very heavy alloy of copper, tin, or lead. Such were the denarii and antoniniani substi tuted for silver at Rome from Caraealla (Ad).
211) to Diocletian (c.300 A.D.), and the base tetradrachms struck during the Roman Empire at Alexandria in Egypt. Antioch, and Ctesa•ea in Cappadocia. The latter are sometimes de scribed as of potin, but sec below. (F) Copper was the original standard of value in Italy, and remained the• only coinage in Route until the introduction of silver in B.C. 268, when it tended more and more to become a purely subsidiary coinage. ht Greece the standard wars, and al ways remained, silver, though here, as in the East, copper was earlier used for the smaller values. The Creeks derived their copper largely front ('yprus, whence its name, xaXxas sinrimos, us egprium, or simply el/print/I or cuprutot, from iv hie]] our word 'copper' is derived. The ancient coined copper had a strong alloy of tin; in other words, was really bronze. See also below, under Brass. Copper has since always been in cola nnm use for 'small change.' (G) Put in, or 'pot metal•' bears the same relation in numismatics to copper as 'billow' to silver. It is technically a mixture of bronze (i.e. copper + tin) and brass (i.e. copper + zinc), with slight traces, sometimes, of lead or of silver, and was used for money by the Gallic Seqnani in the first century B.C., and by the mint of Alexandria in Egypt under the Roman Empire until A.D. 296.
Modern numismatic works often erroneously de scribe the base tetradraehms of Alexandria, An tioch, and Caesarea as tieing of potin instead of billon.
(H) Br•a.ss, a mixture of copper and zinc, was found in nature and used for coinage under the early Roman Empire and in Asia Minor. It was regarded as more valuable than bronze, and was called orichalcum (i.e.6pdxaXsov, 'inotintain copper'), often corrupted into //ari d/a/cum, 'gold-copper;' or xaXicas Xeutc6s, 'white copper.' In China, brass has always been the ordinary medium of exchange. (1) Lead, from its nature, was never well adapted to coinage, yet it was so used oeeasiunall• in ancient Gaul and Egypt. It 11.9 s been a favorite material for counterfeiters at all times, and anciently even the official mints sometimes defrauded eommerce by emissions of silver-plated lead coins instead of real silver•. The majority, also, of ancient tessera• ;Ire of lead. In modern times it is used only for trial pieces and for the cheaper class of medals. (J) TM has only occasionally been used for money, as by the kings of Numidia in t he se<•ond century B.C., and, according to Aris totle, by Dionysius, Tyrant of Syracuse. In modern times it is found at money among the Chinese. Malays, and Senegambia»s. ( K1 /root as money was even rarer than tin in ancient times. We hear of iron coins among the early Lacedicmonians, in Byzantium, in Argos, and elsewhere. (L) Nickel was coined in Northern India already in the third eentury it.r. Other wise it, was never used for money until modern times. Switzerland began to strike nickel pieces about 1850, and since then it has been coined in many eouut•ies. (M) .1/uutinum has never served as money, but has frequently been used for medals.