The sestertius, or sesterce, was an ancient Roman coin. During the Roman Republic it was a small, silver coin issued only on rare occasions. During the Roman Empire it was a large brass coin. The name sestertius (originally semis-tertius) means "2 ½", the coin's original value in asses, and's a combination of semis "half" and tertius "third", that's, "the third half" (0 ½ being the first half and 1 ½ the second half) or "half the third" (two units plus half the third unit, or ha… (More on Sesterces)