My New Claudius Sestertius with Arch of Drusus...sorta, maybe

So what do you think of this 31mm beauty?





Note those surfaces:



Before you hit that "thumbs down" button, I already figured out it isn't ancient. If for no other reason, it only weighs 18 grams.

So I started poking around (before and after I bought it) looking for fakes. Fakes abound, but the modern ones are quite obvious, even to me. What it seems to be - and I welcome corrections - is a Paduan by Da Cavino. There are quite a few examples online, both 1500s and restrikes into the 19th century, and they seem to die-match my example. But most of these are rounder, and do not have the signs of long-term burial like my example. I see no casting seam on the edge.

Here are four Claudius arch Paduans listed in acsearch:

https://www.acsearch.info/search.ht...ory=1&en=1&de=1&order=0&currency=usd&company=

Here is how I attributed it for the flip:

Claudius Æ Sestertius/Medal
Paduan copy by Da Cavino
(50-54 A.D. type; 1500-1570 or later 19th C. restrike?)
TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR P IMP P P, laureate head right / NERO CLAVDIVS
DRVSVS GERMAN IMP, S C Arch of Drusus with statue.
RIC 114 type (Paduan copy)
(18.16 grams / 31 mm)

So am I on the right track here? I have about 2 hours Internet surfing "expertise" on Paduans. Or is it modern junk, a copy of a copy of a copy tarted-up to look old?

Any help, opinions, corrections, etc. would be appreciated.

 

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Hard to tell what you have there. Ancient copy? A good number of those Ronan bronzes were copied in Britain in ancient times and while the fabric is good they were often light in weight. The flan is not completely round as your Paduans seem to be. Any chance it was minted as a dupondius? The radiate head was not always a requirement for that denomination. I know little about Paduans. When you do find out please tell us.

 

IMITATIVE/COUNTERMARKED COINAGE
Following the conquest of Britannia by Claudius

Last updated: 3 August 2019

Introductory Notes:

1. Large quantities of imitative Roman aes coins - some of poor quality but also some of reasonably good quality - were produced in Britain during this period using spurious dies.

2. In order to help relieve pervasive coin shortages, quantities of reasonably well made imitative coins were occasionally accepted by Roman officials for circulation.

3. Many coins were countermarked to indicate their official status and in some instances to denote re-valuation of coinage denomination.

ANNOTATED EXEMPLARS
Imitative/Countermarked coins from my collection

IMITATIVE CLAUDIUS SPES SESTERTIUS WITH DEVALUATION COUNTERMARK


Pangeri 85d, (30mm, 15.2gm)
Countermarked DV (denoting half value) on obverse.

Enlargement of DV countermark:



This is a devaluation countermark indicating this coin is re-valued as a Dupondius (half value) due to its very low weight. Note edge chisel mark on the obverse at approx. 3 o'clock which is always present on DV countermarked coins.

IMITATIVE CLAUDIUS OB CIVES SERVATOS SESTERTIUS WITH COUNTERMARK


BMCRE, Vol. I, CLAUDIUS, SESTERTIUS, Rome, No. 120, 41-45AD (38mm, 29.2gm)
Obverse depiction: Claudius, laureate head facing right
Inscription: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TRP IMP
Countermarked PROB
Mattingly note - Cmk. in oblong incuse in front of neck and face; end of legend obliterated
Reverse depiction: Civic Oak Wreath
Inscription in four lines:
EX SC
O B
C I V E S
SERVATOS
(within Civic Oak Wreath)

Enlargement of PROB countermark:



PROB (Probatum = approved) countermark. I believe this to be an irregular issue coin (struck from locally made unofficial dies). Note the flattened and bulged area on the reverse resulting from the very heavily struck countermark on the obverse which was carelessly positioned almost off the flan. The inscriptional lettering on the reverse is somewhat uneven and not very well formed.

CALIGULA AGRIPPA NEPTUNE AS WITH CLAUDIUS COUNTERMARK


Agrippa Obverse & Neptune reverse As
BMCRE, Vol I, Tiberius, No. 168 (RIC, Vol I, No. 58)
Plate 26
Reverse: Claudius Countermark TIAV (A and V ligatured) in oblong incuse over head of Neptune

"In hand" enlargement of countermark:


Neptune reverse
As, BMCRE, Vol I, Tiberius, No. 168 (RIC, Vol I, No. 58)
Plate 26
Reverse: Claudius Countermark TIAV in oblong incuse over head of Neptune

Mattingly lists TIAV as the usual Countermark employed by Claudius for these coins. They were issued for extended circulation in Britain by Claudius following his Victory there. These were the common Roman denominations used as legal tender in Britannia - evidently for a very long time, for many are found in very worn condition.

CLAUDIUS TRIUMPHAL ARCH SESTERTIUS WITH NERO COUNTERMARK

Evidently Nero also Countermarked and issued Claudius aes coinage in order to extend the supply of money in Britain after the death of Claudius.


BMCRE, Vol. I, CLAUDIUS, SESTERTIUS, Rome, No. 123, 41-45AD (35mm, 22.3gm)
Obverse depiction: Claudius, laureate head facing right
Inscription: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TRP IMP
Countermarked NCAPR in oblong incuse rectangle behind head (unknown mark on head)
Reverse depiction: Triumphal arch surmounted by equestrian statue of Nero Claudius Drusus
Inscription: NERO CLAVDIVS DRVSVS GERMAN IMP


Enlargement of NCAPR countermark:





This coinage was usually countermarked NCAPR - which is interpreted different ways by collectors and researchers, with the most popular and frequently used interpretations being Nero Caesar Augustus Probavit or Nero Caesar Augustus Populo Romano. This coin was well struck and centered. Likewise, the countermark is well struck and correctly positioned. I believe this to be a coin produced at the Rome mint and subsequently re-issued for use in Britain.

REFERENCE RESOURCES

The Countermarks found on Ancient Roman coins - A brief Introduction - Richard Baker (PDF)

Coinage of Britain during the Roman Occupation by Peter R. Thompson - The Ormskirk & West Lancashire Numismatic Society

Museum of Countermarks on Roman Coins - Roman Coins & More - Roman Numismatic Gallery

The copying of Bronze Coins of Claudius in Roman Britain (PDF) - Ph.D dissertation of Robert Frederick Ernest Kenyon, Institute of Archaeology, University College, London, April 1992 - a 535 page PDF document, which is a very comprehensive body of work that covers, in exhaustive detail, all aspects of this coinage including production, circulation, counter marking, etc.

Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum (BMCRE), Volume 1 (Augustus to Vitellius) by Harold Mattingly - an online 1923 edition archived copy. The introductory chapters include a great deal of essential reference material relating to this coinage. I personally use my 1983 (revised) printed edition.

 

Nice Claudians everyone. Here's mine...

 

Thank you all for your generous and thought-provoking responses. It'd be great if mine were a light-weight ancient copy, but the reason I'm thinking a Cavino Paduan (or copy thereof) are the numerous examples I've found that look an awful lot like mine.

Here is one from CNG:



This sure looks a lot like mine. In fact, in terms of artistry, especially in the portrait, it looks better than a lot of the ancients of this type I looked at - but in a Renaissance sort of way, if you know what I mean. If you are going to bother making a Paduan, you take some care with the dies. The Romans were banging them out for commerce and sometimes the celators were part of the B-Team, or apprentices.

But the non-round aspect of mine and the very convincing ancient-like surfaces are kind of a mystery. Somebody might've taken a lot of trouble trying to make it look ancient?

 

Thank you so much jamesicus for that information. I am a big fan of countermarks and really, really wish my Claudius had come with one. That would've made my week!

I am saving your informative and well-illustrated post for my permanent file of countermarked ancients (if that's okay with you - it's for my personal use only!). This is a fascinating field I am just getting started in.

So far I have accumulated quite a few grossly underweight "imitative" asses/dupondii with countermarks - usually TI.CA or AVG or variants. They must've issued a lot of these because they are abundant - and for the most part very, very unattractive as coins. But very interesting, I think.

 

Great stuff @Marsyas Mike! Please feel free to use that information (including the photos) as you wish - please give me credit if you use it elsewhere. I have come by a duplicate of the Countermarked Claudius Spes sestertius I depict in the first pic, here it is:



………… If you send me your snail mail address via PM I will mail it to you.

 

I am no expert on the matter but do not recall 'genuine' really old Paduans with deposits like these so I would want a higher level opinion on the age/originality of the 'dirt'. It does not look 'struck' to me but even the best Paduans are often listed as an early cast rather than struck original.

 

Yeah, I am baffled by the deposits on this. Most of my AEs are petty low grade, so I have a lot of examples of "deposits" at hand, and most of these I figure are genuinely ancient. I've read around CT and elsewhere on how forgers artificially patinate fakes - and there are a lot of them on eBay (Eastern Europe) - they usually look pretty obvious - a lurid green chemical bath/cooking.

The surfaces on my "Claudius" are very complicated - a reddish patina, traces of what looks like a brown patina in the lettering, with some areas of green. Separately, they all strike me as being ancient, but I am not sure I've seen all three together like this, although I'm sure it's possible.

That being said, here is an awful Septimius Severus sestertius I recently picked up - it came from a lot of AEs with very similar patinas and lots of wear (I suspect a hoard). It has red/green/brown on it - not like the Claudius exactly, but along the same lines. Despite everything, I love the portrait on this one.

(I wanted to show it to you anyway, Doug, since you have so many nice SS coins in your collection - I'm not 100% on the attribution, so if you see a blunder, please let me know - there is nothing left of the legends, so I had to struggle more than usual):



Septimius Severus Æ Sestertius
(195 A.D.)
Rome Mint
[L SEPT SEV PERT AVG IMP V], laureate head right / [P M TR P III COS II P P] S C Minerva standing left, holding spear in right hand and round shield at side in left hand.
RIC 689 (no drapery on shoulder)
(20.33 grams / 26 mm)

 

That reddish encrustation reminds me of a hoard of Elymais bronzes, First Century AD, that were almost all like the coins pictured above. I asked the gentleman at the show who had these coins (at least a hundred, probably more) how these coins got that way. He gave me an answer I did not understand then and have forgotten most of but it seemed that there was something in the soil of that region, a lot of iron I think, that made coins come out of the ground like that. I bought one but there is no sense posting it here as I found one of the few not encrusted and bought that one. I am not sure what the OP's coin is but I am not certain it is not actually from ancient times.

 

Sestertius of Agrippina Snr minted by Claudius 50-54 A.D. Obv. head of Agrippina right Rv Large S.C. RIC 102 28.30 grms 37 mm

 

Interesting observation, Kevin. It seems from time to time I come across something about how a certain patina originates from a certain kind of soil or moisture conditions. Calgary Coins has a useful guide to patinas, although I don't see the reddish type. It does state:

"Copper oxide comes in various colors but mostly reds, browns and blacks, and it is very common for an ancient bronze coin to have a mix of these colors across the surface..."
http://www.calgarycoin.com/reference/grading/patina.htm

Here is a photo of all four sestertii I got from the same buyer - they look very similar to me in terms of patina - that Marcus Aurelius has the largest area of the reddish stuff, creeping up over his nose and on Jupiter's throne. It'd be great to know if these did indeed come from the same hoard or the same soil conditions, but this information is usually lacking, unfortunately.

 

I have seen the color but have no clue about a hoard. The most recent of mine below has been with me for over 25 years so it is not a new find. I believe this is more a sign of the way they were cleaned than evidence of all being one group.

 

My Claudius Dupondius has some adhesion's similar to yours (black and red) and was thought to be a fake but have since been told by a well known Melbourne dealer that it is genuine. Claudius CERES AVGVSTA/S C 10.14gm Rome 42 AD, Dupondius RIC 110.

 

Terence, I can't think of anything to say about that coin except: absolutely stunning. Or: work of art. I'm not sure what is more spectacular, the lettering or the portrait.

 

Nice one! An interesting, expressive portrait in particular.

That red adhesion is very similar to some of mine. But I wish my Claudius fell more in line with the correct weight range - yours fits safely in the dupondius zone. Mine would make a good weight for a sestertius of Gordian III!

 

Yes, it is a magnificent coin indeed. Of course it is the superb inscriptional letterforms - so typical of Julio-Claudian Sestertii - that captivate me most. There is an unusual amount of interpuncts (mid dot spacers) within the Reverse inscription.

 

Nice Claudius



i show my one