Hope you all have been having a nice Labor Day weekend - despite the rumored hotdog shortage. As if we didn't have enough problems already! It's been a while since I've inflicted countermarks on you folks, but these three are new and I got the countermark fever again. They are a sibilant bunch, Sssssssillyon Septimius and Sicily: A Delta and NIKO on this very worn Provincial of Septimius Severus. Septimius Severus Æ 28 Pentassaria Moesia Inferior, Nikopolis ad Istrum (c. 193-211 A.D. ?) AV KAI Λ CE [CEVHΡOC?], laureate head right / Illegible reverse, faint letters. Host: Unknown Roman provincial, Nikopolis or Pautalia? (8.91 grams / 28 x 25 mm) Countermarks: CM 1: Δ incuse 7 x 6 mm. Howgego 782 (3 pcs); denotes denomination, pentassaria. CM 2: NIKO incuse 14 x 5 mm. Howgego 553 (3 pcs, 2 of which are on the reverse). Note: All coins that have the Δ c/m apparently also bear the NIKO c/m... FORVM Collection Automan. Here is a neat little countermark of a lyre (a chelys, technically, made from a tortoise shell) from Sillyon. The eBay seller attributed it to Smyrna, with Homer seated on the back, which is not correct - you can see the eagle in Zeus's hand, and some of the legend. it took a while, but I tracked down Sillyon, a place I'd never heard of: Pamphylia, Sillyon Æ 17 (c. 300-100 B.C.) Laureate head of Apollo right / ΣΕΛΥΝ[ΙΥΣ] Zeus seated left, holding eagle and scepter, thunderbolt in field left. SNG France 956; SNG Cop. 437 Countermark: chelys (lyre) in 7 x 5 mm rectangle. No. ref. (4.07 grams / 17 mm) Countermark: Found only one countermarked Sillyon but not a chelys. This countermark similar to those found on Bithynia Æs for Prusias "cf. SNG von Aulock 6881 (for countermarks)." (CNG Web Shop via acsearch) Finally, a chopped-down, counterstamped (obv. and rev.) follis for Byzantine Sicily: Byzantine Empire Æ Follis Heraclius & Her. Constantine (c. 632-641 A.D.) Sicilian Mint Host coin: Probably cut-down follis of Heraclius? Counterstamp: Two busts, Heraclius & Her. Constantine / RTh mongram SCs in circle SB 884; DOC II part 1 243. (5.86 grams / 22 x 19 mm) Please share your countermarks. I like looking at them.
Interesting countermarks! Here is a rather shabby Thessalian AE from Metropolis that I'm keeping only for the eagle countermark on the obverse. The type is often found with that countermark (see BCD Thessaly II, lot 483.1–3). Its significance is not certain but there might be some interesting historical background: "A suggestion has been made that this countermark could reflect a Ptolemaic involvement in the affairs of mainland Greece during the reign of Ptolemy III" (Yannis Stoyas: Wheat-Ears and Owls. Remarks on Thessalian Coins with Countermarks (2019), p. 64). Thessaly, Metropolis, AE 21, ca. 300–190 BC. Obv: head of Apollo, laureate, r. (countermark: eagle standing r.). Rev: ΜΗ[ΤΡΟΠ]ΟΛΙΤΩΝ; forepart of man-headed bull left, head r. 21mm, 6.59g. Ref: BMC 3; Sear Greek 2152; SNG Copenhagen 175.
Fun thread, @Marsyas Mike ! Cool coins! You say you have a fever ... Here are some of my countermarked coins, posted because of sibilance. Severus Alexander from Seleukeia: Severus Alexander AD 222-235. Roman provincial Æ 24 mm, 9.19 g. Cilicia, Seleukeia ad Kalykadnon. Obv: AV K M AVP CEOVH AΛEΞANΔPOC, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev: CEΛEVKEΩN KAΛVΚA-ΔNΩ, confronted, draped, and laureate busts of Apollo and Artemis, c/m: o within Δ within triangular incuse. Ref: Ziegler 474-476; SNG France 2 1009; SNG Levante 761; SNG Levante Suppl. 195; SNG Pfalz 1056-61; Waddington 4468; Lindgren III 898; RPC Online VI 7043. Countermark: Howgego 670. Trajan from Seleucis and Pieria in Syria: Trajan, AD 98-117. Roman Provincial Æ 29 mm, 15.86 g, 12 h. Syria, Seleucis and Pieria, Antioch, AD 115-116. Obv: ΑΥΤΟΚΡ ΚΑΙϹ ΝΕΡ ΤΡΑΙΑΝΟϹ ΑΡΙϹΤ ϹΕΒ ΓΕΡΜ ΔΑΚ, laureate head, right. Countermark: laurel branch in incuse rectangle, Howgego 378 (69 sp.). Rev: S·C in laurel wreath; Є below. Refs: RPC III 3616; cf. BMC 20, p. 185, 286 (with same countermark); Wruck 196; McAlee 489(e). Trajan struck for use in Syria: 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.
Thanks for noticing my error, Doug. Whenever I try to attribute a coin, I "triangulate" from various sources. The source where I got pentassaria is from a Vcoin listing: https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/in...lta_and_punched_with_niko/164599/Default.aspx My shaky grasp of Greek denominations/alphabet is showing!
I really like that eagle, Orielensis. The fact it is a bit on the lower-grade side just shows it works hard - and countermarks often got a workout. This is just the kind of coin I like in my collection. Here is an eagle countermark I've never been able to attribute - it does not appear to be a Ptolemaic type, however Unknown Æ 25 Æ host (as size?); too worn to identify. Countermark: Eagle, wings spread (dotted border?) in 12 mm circle. (9.98 grams / 25 mm)
You definitely got the fever, RC. Those are some lovely countermarks - I veered close to one of those Syrian laurel branches recently, but got outbid, alas. The other two are pretty spectacular as well. And way to go keeping the SSSSSSSS's theme hissing along.
Fun countermarks, @Marsyas Mike ! I would enjoy focusing on these, sometime. Augustus As four countermarks 25-23 mm 9.8g TICA AVG probably for Tiberius Augustus CE14-37 Dolphin Ex: @Valentinian
This is an exceptionally nice example, Alegandron. I have a couple of these, but none of mine show the reverse dolphin very clearly - a lot of them don't. This is about as pretty as they get in my collection - no dolphin at all, as far as I can see:
I have another, I thought was interesting History. It is possibly countermarked by the Pirates fighting Pompey, as he was kicking their butts... Cilicia - Tarsos turret counterstamped Bow Pompey Pirates AE 19 164 BCE Tyche-Zeus seated
One I got from FORVM years back, because I thought the countermark looked cool. Tarsos, Cilicia, c. 164 - 37 B.C.
That is a nice one, Alegandron. This is mine - kind of grimy. I recently passed on a nice one on eBay - I waited too long, unfortunately.
That is a handsome example, lordmarcovan - I like the two-tone green. I have a couple of these - I don't mind accumulating duplicate countermarks since they tend to vary so much in appearance:
Ryro, that is an awe-inspiring collection of countermarks. I have questions about a couple of them: #4 - anchor #5 - owl #8 - ? I don't know what's going on there. A lot of times I have trouble attributing countermarks - I have a fairly large collection of "mysteries" that I take out from time to time to see if any new info comes up. Those three in your collection do not look familiar to me - the owl does, but not necessarily on that host. For instance, here's a mysterious NE countermark - I like how it looks, but know nothing about it. Here is one of those Vindex Rebellion countermarks - like the last in your post: Vindex Rebellion Æ (As?) Moesia, Thrace or Gaul (c. March-June 68 A.D.) Agrippa or Nero head left (?) /Victory (?) standing right; Æ as (or barbaric imitation?) too worn to ID. Countermark: PR (Populus Romanus) in rectangular punch Pangerl 87; Howgego 599 (?). (6.55 grams / 27 x 26 mm) Populus Romanus - The Roman People. This countermark was used by the rebels in Gaul under the leadership of Julius Vindex during the months of March-June 68 A.D. eBay seller note: "This coin is part of a lot I bought on CNG Coins Auction 443 Lot 735"
You got the first 2. #8 is a Corinthian helmet. Tilt your screen left by 15 degrees or so to see it Thanks again for the heads up on those wonderful and rare Vindex RRs! Here's a hellenistic apollo w/ leaf or feather
I was amused by the countermark on this one - Young beardless Herakles over the bust of an old bearded Herakles. BITHYNIA, Herakleia Pontika AE19. 4.63g, 19.5mm. BITHYNIA, Herakleia Pontika, circa 235-175 BC. SNG Stancomb 827 = Stancomb, Autonomous p. 21, 7a A4/P10, pl. 3, 35 (this coin); SNG BM Black Sea 1631; HGC 7, 489. O: Bearded head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin headdress; c/m: head of young Herakles right. R: ΗΡΑΚΛΕΩ-TAN, lion prancing right; boukranion between forelegs, monogram above, club below. Ex William Stancomb Collection
Another countermark I've never seen - I like how the countermark is oriented the same way as the portrait - sometimes countermarks seem to have been placed with some care. For instance, the Atigonas Gonatas "helmet" countermarks are always neatly placed over the helmet obverse: