About 211 BC the first anonymous AR sestertius of the Roman Republic was introduced. At that time the Carthaginian commander Hannibal was on his way to conquer Rome ("Hannibal ante portas").
During the Roman Republic the sestertius, or sesterce, (pl. sestertii or sesterces) was a small, silver coin issued only on rare occasions. Sestertius means "two and one half", referring to its nominal value of two and a half asses, a value that was useful for commerce because it was one quarter of a denarius, a coin worth ten asses.
(Source: TimeLine Auctions Sep, 2016)
Obverse you see the helmeted head of Roma right, IIS behind head and reverse the Dioscouri riding right, ROMA below (Crawford RRC 42/7; BMCRR Rome 13; Sear 46).
Series Ancient Coins:
1. Hiero II of Syracuse
2. Anonymous AR Denarius of the Roman Republic
Further interesting coins will follow. Hope you're interested in these series.
Andreas