Roman Republic Æ Uncia(6.04g, 21mm, 6h). Anonymous, style of corn-ear(grain-ear) series. 214-212 B.C. Sicilian mint. Helmeted head of Roma right; behind, • / Prow of galley right; ROMA above; below, •. Roberto Russo, Essays Hersh, pl. 18, 34; McCabe Group B1; Crawford -(but cf. 42/4 for similar style with corn-ear); Sydenham -
A rare uncia from the anonymous sibling series to the Crawford 42 corn-ear series from Sicily. Crawford in RRC notes that the quadrans of this series may or may not have the corn-ear but does not seem to have noticed that there are also sextantes, unciae and semunciae in the same style as RRC 42 but without the corn-ear. This series was first properly published by Roberto Russo in his paper on unpublished bronzes in Essays Hersh and later expounded on by McCabe in his paper on anonymous bronzes in Essays Russo. The Goodman collection also included a sextans of this series, see CNG 45, 18 March 1998, lot 1156. For a more common example of the type with corn-ear, see See here.
A small note on the use of the term corn-ear. In the US, we tend to use the word corn to describe maize whereas outside the US, and in most numismatic texts, corn is used more like we'd use the word "grain" to refer generically to grain. The corn-ear on the signed siblings of this type are likely ears of wheat or barley but even with some experience as a hobbyist baker who nerds out over grain types I can't tell and I don't know if anyone can for sure.
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