Denarii with serrated edges appeared around 209 BC, two years after the introduction of denarius coinage. Roman serrati display a typical sawtooth pattern on the edges - the process of serration was done by hand and the notched chisel marks probably improved aesthetic appeal.

Spacing of the notches and dents of Roman serrati were irregular, as indicated by the examples below, unlike Greek serrated coins which had equally spaced and shaped notches, although these also appeared irregular due to the process of embossing.

Despite original aesthetic appeal, the process of serration did not only serve a decorative fashion. Soon contemporary counterfeit serrati appeared on the scene - these fake serrati consisted of a metal base, usually copper, covered by a silver coating.

Recently (from 2000 until present) comparative analyses, i.e. scanning electron microscopy of genuine and contemporary forged serrati, showed that the notches of the fake coins were also produced by striking, whereas silver was drawn into the dents by the embossing process. Genuine and fake coins shared the same manufacturing process and except by cutting into, or weighing individual coins, fake coins were difficult to detect.

During the eighties BC, for instance, the praetor M. Gratidianus took measures to remove forged coins from circulation. Sulla continued the process to prevent counterfeiting by introducing an anticounterfeit law (lex Cornelia de falsis) together with a reintroduction of serration of precious metal.

However, it has also recently been suggested that the manufacture of serrated coins was done as a measure to cope with the brittleness or low quality of silver used in coins with an uncertain lead and copper content. Still, the purpose of serration - whether it had originally developed as an artistic feature that had later intentionally been deployed as a preventative measure against forgery, or other more economic pressures - remains unresolved.