Evidence for legionary vs auxiliary helmet patterns

[caiusbeerquitius]

On the basis of no more evidence than the ease that it would be to accomplish this, I'd be willing to lean that direction. Always easier to recast into coins or new decorative pieces than to dig and smelt the ore.

There´s loads of evidence. As two out of many: At Augsburg Oberhausen three pits were found, one containing cut-up lead objects, one cut-up bronze objetcs, one cut-up iron objects.
In Cambodunum a bronze-caster´s workshop was excavated, also showing several pity of cut-up bronze and brass objects. Apparently the craftsman working there had a technique to distinguish the alloys the objects-to-be-recycled were made of, since the cut-up material was minutely sorted after different alloys. it was suggested he did this either by sound (when hammered) or by cutting the material with a blade / through "softness"