New addition: countermarked Trajan brass as -- let's see your Trajan Æs

A new purchase. RIC ii (p. 290) comments on the "brass as" denomination: "The revival of the orichalcum as, which had been introduced by Nero and discontinued by his successors, is not easy to explain. Possibly these coins were designed for circulation in the East. Their issue is confined to the latter part of Trajan's reign."

Two questions:

1) Anyone have additional references for the bucranium countermark?
2) Some sources state this was struck in Rome for use in Syria, some that it was struck in Antioch. What is the latest opinion about this by experts?

Thanks!

And, of course, post anything you feel is relevant!


Trajan. A.D. 98-117.
Roman orichalcum as, 8.49 g, 23.5 mm, 6 h.
Struck in Rome for circulation in Syria (?); Struck in Antioch (?), AD 115/16.
Obv: IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GERM, radiate and draped bust right; c/m: bucranium within incuse punch.
Rev: DAC PARTHICO P M TR POT XX COS VI P P around laurel wreath enclosing large SC.
Refs: RIC 647; BMCRE 1094; Cohen 123; RCV 3243; Woytek 937v; McAlee 509; Strack 479; BN 953-5. For c/m: Pangerl 63; Howgego 294.

Notes: Howgego (p. 160) notes six specimens found in the west* and states these finds "are an indication of the movement of coin by troops returning from the east after the Parthian war and do not imply that the countermark was western."
For a similar example with this countermark, see BMCRE 3, 1095 (pl.45, 4).

*Mayenne, Bath (Walker, Coins from the Sacred Spring at Bath, plate XXX, no. 13), Richborough (BM 1937 0212 119), Northants (PAS NARC-B683C2), and Coventina's well.

 

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here is the entry from Howgego's Greek Imperial Countermarks

 

Thanks so much!

 

Interesting info at the Norton Antiquities Database:

"This coin is an example of a rare sub-group of Trajan's aes coinage. They are probably from an eastern mint (often thought to be Antioch, but this is perhaps unnecessarily precise). The reverse, an S C in a laurel wreath, is associated with that mint, as is the bucranium (bulls-head) countermark. The coins are dated to circa 116 when Trajan was resident in Antioch. The denomination is not really known; although radiate and of oricalcum (brass) they are smaller than dupondii. RIC / BMC label them as asses, but they are labelled as semises by Metcalf (W E Metcalf, 'A note of Trajan's aes from Antioch', American Numismatic Society Museum Notes (1977) 22, 67). They may have circulated as semises (half asses) or as half-dupondii / oricalcum asses (the as was normally struck in copper). Many examples of this type have a 'bucranium' (bulls-head) countermark like this one. There are 20 coins of this denomination at Bath, and one of them has the bucranium countermark. Outside of Syria these coins are only common in the N W provinces suggesting that they may have formed part of an official government consignment of coinage from the East (D R Walker, 'The Roman Coins' in B Cunliffe (ed.) The Temple of Sulis Minerva at Bath, Volume 2, The Finds from the Sacred Springs, Oxford 1988). The degree of wear (often worn flat, as here) suggests that they may have circulated for more than a century after their importation."

 

Interesting. The British Museum thinks this coin may have been minted on Cyprus. Here's their example of my coin without the countermark:



And their example of a similar one with the bucranium countermark:

 

Wonderful coins and a very interesting post. I'm becoming very enthusiastic about countermarked ancients, but have a lot to learn. This was a very informative post. Many thanks.

 

I have bankers marks and countermarks, just not as many as I would love to have. None on Trajan coins...

TRAJAN AE:

RI Trajan Egypt AE Dichalkon Laureate hd L Rhinoceros walking L LI-Z yr 17 CE 113-114 12.9mm 1.25g Emmet 719 var. rhino right

 

These come in two sizes. My larger one (top) is 7.0g while the smaller is 4.3g. They are usually called asses and semises but I agree that the names are not known for certain. Both are orichalcum.

 

The first of these 2 bronze coins was struck in Antioch. The second has the sacred stone, temple or statue of Zeus on reverse ? Trajan is on both obverses.

 

I just picked myself up one of these, based on the conversation introduced in this thread and my interest in Antioch coinage. This one is the smaller type, at 19mm and 3.81g. Mine has no countermark and is very green.

 

That's a lovely example!

 

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wik...och_bucranium_countermark_(FindID_596680).jpg

Very nice coin.

 

Here's my example I obtained just last April. I wasn't aware of the countermarks. Thanks for the information Roman Collector and all.



Ruler: Trajan (Augustus)
Coin: VF Brass AS
IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GERM - Radiate bust right, aegis on left shoulder
DAC PARTHICO PM TRP XX COS VI PP around oak wreath around SC - S C within wreath
Mint: Rome (115-116 AD)
Wt./Size/Axis: 8.39g / 25mm / 180
References:

• RIC II 648

Acquisition/Sale: adamfrisco eBay $0.00 04/18
Notes: Oct 10, 18 - The Gary R. Wilson Collection