The 1995 film "Screamers" is a science fiction set in the near future on a distant planet where humans, mostly soldiers, battle robots called "screamers." The screamers resemble humans which they are programmed to kill. The humans left on the planet are the remnants of two armies which now have a truce. Joseph Hendricksson (Peter Weller) is the commander of the humans. Early in the film Joseph Hendricksson holds an ancient Roman coin with the image of a Sphinx and the lettering "AVGVSTVS" on it.

The planet Sirius 6B once had a mining industry but that has closed. A soldier, Chuck Elbarak, brings a message cannister to Commander Hendricksson.

Chuck Elbarak reports to Commander Hendricksson who is holding an ancient coin.

The coin reverse is shown with a Sphinx and the lettering "AVGVSTVS." It is a cistophoric tetradrachm of Pergamon with the Roman Emperor Augustus on it. These coins were struck in Asia Minor (now Turkey) from around BC 27 to 18.

Hendricksson uses a loupe to examine the coin.

Hendricksson asks "What the hell do you want, Chuck?" and Elbarak replies: "If you manage to tear your eyeball away from that coin, I'll tell you."

Hendricksson replies: "Happens to be the portrait of a sphinx, Chuck." "It belonged to Augustus Caesar, the first great emperor of the world."

Later some soldiers go out on a patrol to the remains of a mine.

The soldiers kill a screamer and find something on him.

Two screamer's manufacturer tags are shown with both sides appearing. After more battles where Hendricksson's men are killed he is left with a civilian woman named Jessica.

The pair form a relationship once Jessica cuts herself proving that she is not a robot screamer. They find a small escape spacecraft with one seat. Being a gentleman Hendricksson offers Jessica the seat.

She refuses directly and Hendricksson pulls out his Augustus coin and suggests flipping it.

Hendricksson shows the coin obverse first with the Emperor Augustus and then the reverse. This coin does not look exactly like the coin shown previously. It may have been manufactured for the film to avoid damaging the real coin. The coin falls to the ground.

The falling coin is a different coin with a "Saint George and the Dragon" obverse and an unknown reverse. A second "Jessica" appears.

Hendricksson realizes that his Jessica is an improved screamer which can bleed. The two Jessicas fight over Hendricksson and both die.

Peter Weller as Commander Joseph A. Hendricksson
Ron White as Lieutenant Commander Chuck Elbarak
Jennifer Rubin as Jessica Hansen
Andrew Lauer as Private Michael "Ace" Jefferson
Charles Powell as Private Ross
Director: Christian Duguay
Writers: Dan O'Bannon, Miguel Tejada-Flores
Based on the 1953 short story "Second Variety" by Philip K. Dick

Note: Peter Weller, the star of "Screamers", has a Ph.D. degree from UCLA in Italian Art History. He is a collector of ancient coins and once owned a Roman Eid Mar denarius. It is possible that the ancient coin shown in the film belonged to him.