I am tired of looking at this coin and thought someone could help me out. I bought it because of the counterstamp (which I haven't quite found yet) but the base coin eludes me. It appears to be an early provincial with the reverse of four horses guided by a central figure over ??? Hopefully someone can give me some quick help before I lose the small amount of mind I have left.
Nice countermark! Looks like mine: Augustus, with Gaius Caesar, ( 27 B.C - 14 A.D.) Phrygia, Apamea. Gaius Masonius Rufus, Magistrate Ӕ20 O: ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣ, laureate head right. R: ΓΑΙΟΣ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ ΓΑΙΟΣ ΜΑΣΩΝΙΟΣ ΡΟΥΦΟΣ ΑΠAΜΕΩΝ, Gaius Caesar in facing quadriga. 20mm 4.46g RPC 3129
Thanks Mat! I knew I've seen it somewhere. Much appreciated. And yeah, I just liked that odd countermark. Need to find that now.
When you do this long enough you'll find coins you once owned showing up at all sorts of different venues. This one was in a job lot at the Orlando coin show this weekend.
I think this mark is the one recorded by Howgego as no. 679, where he reads a plain N. There's a little doohickey (technical numismatic term) on yours, so it should be a monogram. He knows it only on two coins of Apameia, one of Augustus and one of Tiberius. It was probably applied at that city.
Thanks to all. That closes the description for the coin. And as an engineer I had to take a core course in doohickey analysis, so I do understand.
