No bronze coins were issued for the sole purpose of general circulation, with, the exception, of donatives. The Roman government did not mint coins for the people to use; but instead minted for fiscal considerations. This is in contrast to modern practices. The Roman mints produced coins in relation to fiscal obligations, immediacy and extent of military obligations and political considerations. These coins then trickled down to general circulation. So a large proportion of coinage struck by Roman mints was going to go to the military; which helped spread the money to the locals through trade.
This is a reason why there are periods when many unofficial coins are minted. Following a monetary reform, it would have taken some time before sufficient quantities of official coinage could have passed down to the population. The period around A.D. 318, with the epidemic copying of VLPP, is a good example.
