Countermarked Coins From Around The World. The marking of coins after minting: Common practice for...

Countermarked Coins From Around The World

The marking of coins after minting:•Common practice for as long as coinage has existed•Define Countermark• Reasons for adding marks and stamps •Look at the design, form and meaning

Introduction

Counterstamp/Countermark: • A mark added to a coin

• Subsequent to minting

• With a purpose

•Usually incuse into the design • Bears some kind of recognizable design, text, initials, or picture.

Definition

•Assayer’s mark-Validate weight, metal content and purity

•Satisfy a shortage- use someone else’s coins

•Political or Economic Takeover

•Establish Independent State

•Status- Indicate ownership

Reasons to add a Counterstamp

PART 1- Ancient Greece and Roman Empire

Archaic Greek - 6th BC to 479 BC- Aegina

Aegina- Island Nation south of Athens, Greece

http://www.ancient-greece.org/images/maps/ancient-greece101.swf

Archaic Greek - 6th BC to 479 BC- Aegina

Aegina- “Greek Turtle” Silver- 550 BC

Archaic Greek - 6th BC to 479 BC

Aegina- Greek Turtle circa 500 BC


Aegina- Greek Turtle with counterstamp


..

Aegina- Greek Turtle with arrow counterstamp

Archaic- Coin from Lydia - Darius III 450 -330 BC

http://worldcoincatalog.com/AC/C4/Lydia/Lydia.htm

Kneeling King with bow- No countermark

Archaic- Kingdom of Lydia 450 BC


Archaic- Siglos of Lydia 450 BC


Archaic- Siglos of Lydia- 450 BC


Archaic- Siglos of Lydia 450 BC

Archaic Period

Siglos- Lydia- 450 BC

Classical Greek- -Pamphylia

Pamphylia

Classical Period- Pamphylia (Turkey)- City of Perge

http://www.mapofturkey.info/d/3_1.asp

Greek Classical Period Gold Stater- Side

.

Side c.400-380 BC, Stater Athena/ standing left, rev Pamphylian legend, naked Apollo standing left-

2 counterstamps- four legged animal

Classical Period

Silver Tetradrachm-Pamphylia- no counterstamp 300-200 BC

Athena/Nike

Classical Period

Silver Tetradrachm- Pamphylia 333BC Obv-Athena facing right, Nike Advancing- Rev Seleukid Counterstamp (anchor)

Classical Period

Silver Tetradrachm- Pamphylia – Anchor C/M

Classical Period

Silver Tetradrachm- Pamphylia (Side)

Anchor C/M

Classical Period

Silver Tetradrachm- Pamphylia

Counterstamp- Bow in Bowcase

Classical Period

Silver Tetradrachm- C/M- Bow in Bowcase

Classical Period

Silver Tetradrachm- Pamphylia (Side) C/M- Lyre

Classical Period

Silver Tetradrachm- Pamphylia Countermark-Bee & Bowcase

Classical Period

.

PAMPHYLIA Side. 3rd - 2nd century B.C.:

AR drachm (3.76 g). Bee countermark.

Classical Period

KINGS of MACEDON. Alexander III ‘the Great’. 336-323 BC. Tetradrachm . (195/4 BC). Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin/ Zeus enthroned left. TRAL and bowcase in circular incuse

Classical Period- Alexander the Great- Tetradrachm (190 BC)

•The TRAL countermark was applied in Tralles, Lydia.

•Other bow and bowcase countermarks on to Pergamon, Ephesos, Sardes, Tralles, Laodikeia, and Apameia.

•Linked to the introduction of the cistophoric coinage circa 180 BC.

•Permitted the circulation of Attic weight coins in the years following political reform.

Classical Period

MACEDONIAN KINGS Alexander the Great. 336-323 B.C.: AR tetradrachm (28 mm, 16.82 g). Aspendus mint. Head of Heracles/ Zeus enthroned left, holding eagle and sceptre.

Countermark: head of Helios facing front

Hellenistic Period

.

Tetradrachm- 320 BC Basileos

Hellenistic Period (336 BC-30 BC)

.

305 BC Paphos Mint-Basileos Ptolemy I and II AR Tetradrachm Multiple Bankers Marks Date: 305-284 BCObverse: Diademed bust righteverse: Eagle standing left 26.97 mm

Hellenistic Period

After 250 BC. AR Didrachm (8.16g). Turreted head of Nymph Sinope left; countermark: radiate head of Helios facing, ΣΙΝΟΠΕΩΝ

Rev Poseidon sitting on throne left, holding dolphin and trident; countermark: laureate head of horned Poseidon left.

Hellenistic Period

Bythinia-228BC Three Countermarks: Altar, Lyre, Goddess

Hellenistic Period

Lycia Termessus Minor AE22 / Bee CounterstampDate: 1st century BCObverse: Laureate head of Zeus right, sceptre behindReverse: Legend above and beneath winged thunderbolt, Bee countermark Size: 22.8 mm weight: 3.9 grams

Roman

Tiberius-(Twelve Caesars) Countermarks

Roman Counterstamped Coins

Counterstamped Roman Coins are of great historical value.

•Help trace the movement of Roman Legions across Europe

•Shed Light on political uprisings and successions

•Edwin Howgego- British

• Museum of Countermarks on Roman Coins

Roman

Æ Sestertius (24.75 gm). Struck 8-10 AD..XLI for countermark. Æ As (10.63gm). Struck 12-14 AD. TIB in incuse oval.

Roman

AUGUSTUS. A Pair of Augustan denarii, both with Vespasian counterstamps. Countermarked at Ephesos, circa 74-79 AD. both with bold counterstamps. Both Howgego 839

Roman

CILICIA, Tarsus. Hadrian. 117-138 AD. AR Tetradrachm Countermarked under Caracalla, 215-217 AD. laureate head of Caracalla right,

AMK:Prwth Megisth Kallisth (First, Greatest, Most Beautiful), epithets granted to the city of Tarsus upon Caracalla's arrival there in 215 AD.

Roman Coin Expert- Christopher Howgego

Project director, Roman Provincial Coinage in the Antonine Period

University Lecturer in Numismatics, Reader in Greek and Roman Numismatics., Faculty of ClassicsSenior Assistant Keeper, The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK.

1994: ''Coin circulation and the integration of the Roman economy'', 1995: ''The circulation of silver coins, models of the Roman economy” 1995: Ancient History from Coins, Routledge, London, 176.

Chris Howgego Book

Roman- X Legion

"X" for LEGIO X GEMINA on Nero Dupondius, Pannonia Superior, possible applied later during Vespasianus

Roman- XII Legion

Two well-worn coins with XII Legion Fulminata Countermark (Turkey)

For List of Roman Legions: http://www.romancoins.info/Legions.html

Roman- 42 NummiDenominational Counterstamp

"XLII" on Galba As, such countermarks are known to have been used by the Ostrogoths and Vandals to mark Dupondi as 42 Nummi (XLII). They prove coins being in circulation some 400 years or more after their initial issue.

Roman- Thrace

THRACE Imbros. Augustus 27 B.C. - A.D. 14.: AE 14. Bare head right. COUNTERMARK (Howgego 431)

Museum of Countermarks on Roman Coins (online museum)

http://www.romancoins.info/Countermarks-start.html

PART 2- Spain, Mexico and the New World

Starting in 1500’s

• Coins used for trade

•Banker’s marks

•Chopmarks

•Assayer’s marks

Spanish Cobs

Pillar Dollars

BustDollars

Mexico Eagle Dollars

U.S Trade Dollar

Assayer’s marks

http://www.sycee-on-line.com

Chinese chopmarked foreign silver coins to:

• Identify the payers who handed

out the coin as payment • Guarantee the fineness of the

coins by the merchant or local bank who chopped

• Assay the coin for its silver

fineness and authenticate it by deep chopping

http://www.chopmarks.com/stai/stai2/stai2-3.htm

Assayer’s marks- Cob Coinage 1580-1732

1730 Cob- Mexico 8 Reales- With Countermarks from Island of Madura, Sultnate of Soumanap


1653 Cob- Mexico 8 Reales


Spanish Colonial Mexico, 4 Reales Cob. Cast from 1634-1665

http://www.sycee-on-line.com/Spanis38.jpg

Assayer’s marks

Spanish 8-reales Cob

http://www.sycee-on-line.com/Spanis38.jpg

Mexico- Pillar Dollar 8 Reales (1732-1789)

1733 Pillar Dollar- Without Countermarks

Assayer’s marks- Pillar Dollar (1732-1789)

1736 Pillar Dollar- Mexico- Oriental Chopmarks

Assayer’s marks-Pillar Dollar- (1732-1789)

1744 Pillar Dollar- Mexico- Oriental Chopmarks

Assayer’s marks- Pillar Dollar (eight Reales- 1732-1789)

Countermarks - Pillar Dollar (eight Reales- 1732-1789)

Mexico 1757 8-Reales Pillar Dollar

Jamaican George III Countermark-both sides

Assayer’s marks- Pillar Dollar (eight Reales- 1732-1789)

Piece of eight with Curacao countermark- Large 3 in serrate incuse punch – Applied circa 1819-25

Assayer’s marks- Bust Mexico Eight Reales (1772-1821)

1776 Charles III 8-Reales- No Countermark

Assayer’s Marks- Bust Mexico 8 Reales

1778 8 Reales-Mexico. Counterstamped-Java 1775 – 8R- Sumatra


1791 Charles IIII 8-Reales- With Villa Gran (Mexico??) Countermark


1894 Charles IV 8-Reales with “16-Bitt” countermark both sides and serrated punch- From Dominica (Santo Domingo)-1813 issue

Assayer’s marks- Bust 8-Reales (1772-1821)

1794- 8-Reales from Mexico with George III Countermark (England)


1806- 8-Reales from Lima with Minas Gerais (Brazil) Countermark- both sides


1809- 8-Reales with Chopmarks

Chopmarks- Mexican Eagle Dollars (1824-1897)

1895 Mexico Eagle Dollar- Without Chopmarks Cap and rays

Chopmarks- Mexican Eagle Dollars (1824-1897)

1868 Mexico Eagle Dollar- Chinese Chopmarks

Assayer’s marks- Mexican Eagle Dollars

1885 Mexico- Eagle Dollar

http://www.chopmarks.com/catalogo/serie_c/c.htm

Various Chopmarks

U.S. Trade Dollar- 1873-1885

1880 Trade Dollar- No Chopmarks

U.S. Trade Dollar- 1873-1885

1880 Trade Dollar- Chopmarks (China)

Chopmarks- U.S. Trade Dollar- 1873-1885

1874 Trade Dollar- Deeply Chopmarked

Chopmarks- US Trade Dollar

Assayer’s marks- Half Eagle

Rare 1880 U.S. Half eagle with Counterstamp

Assayer’s marks

1766 Portuguese “Golden Joe” King John V of Portugal

Counterstamped by Ephraim Brasher

A Brasher Doubloon- 1787 A Counterstamped coin

Ephraim Brasher was authorized to issue coins- this is an original design- Brasher is designer and assayer

Brasher Doubloons- 1787

Yale, National Numismatic Collection, and Garrett Specimens

Countermark placement varies

Assayer’s marks

8 Escudo 1797 Gold

Assayer’s marks-William Hollingshead

Brazilian 6400 Reis dated 1751 minted at Rio De Janeiro. Counterstamped on the reverse "WH“ for William Hollingshead

Part 3- Other Countermarks

•Monarchial

•Political

•Shortages

•Independent State

•Ownership

Monarchial Succession- Brazil

The coat of Arms of Joao- Prince Regent 1799-1818 on Earlier 1796 Maria “The Widow” 20 Reales Coin

Monarchial Succesion

1812- 960 Reis- Brazil- The Coat of Arms of Joao- Seen as Counterstamp on 1796 Coin (Prior Slide)

Political

1761- North Wales “Fox” Half Penny with inscription “LIBERTY”

Political

Mexico- 1812- 8 Reales with Morelos Counterstamp and Cut-out

Shortages- Britain- George III

Mexico 8 Reales 1795 with British Counterstamp

“The head of a fool in the neck of an ass”

“Two heads not worth a crown”

Shortages and Trade- Guatemala over Peru

1888 Peru One Sol- Guatemala Counterstamp

Independent State- Republica de Piratina (Brazil)

Brazil Gold 20,000 Reis, 1726, Countermarked 1835

Independent State:Anguilla

Independent States-State of Hejaz (Lawrence of Arabia)

T. E. Lawrence, (Lawrence of Arabia), assisted Husain ibn Ali, the Amir of Mecca, lead a revolt against the Ottoman Turks during WW I. 40 Para Coin with Counterstamp of Hejaz (1916-21)

Ownership

Renaissance times- Eagle of Gonzaga on Æ Sestertius PLOTINA, wife of Trajan. Augusta, 105-123 AD. Struck 112 AD.

The Gonzagas were the rulers of Mantua, a city with an important ancient Roman connection

Countermarked Coins

A Broad ,interesting theme for collecting and studying

Countermarked Coins From Around The World. The marking of coins after minting: Common practice for...

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