Bronze, a metal with 80-95 % copper and 5-20 % tin, has been used for coin-making since ancient times.

The bronze plates that the Romans circulated with a steer, elephant or a horse depicted on them were called Aes signatum ("marked bronze"). These plates were not stamped but moulded and are the transition coin between the Aes rude

("raw bronze pieces") and the Aes grave ("heavy bronze pieces"). Aes signatum-plates were made from 425-275 BC. They weighed 1800 gramms.

Bronze is a good metal to make moulded coins.
Potin is a metal with a large tin and bronze content. Potin is also called white bronze. In early history coins were made out of this metal in the West Celtic coin region.