I never really had an interest in low grade or uncleaned coins; however I've always had an interest in countermarks (which are stamped on low grade coins). I recently started adding some to my collection. If you have any post them. Here is a link with references for identifying counter marks: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=countermark Province, City - Reign: KINGS OF BITHYNIA, Prusias I Denomination: AE 27 Mint: 238-183 BC Obverse: Laureate head of Apollo left; two countermarks: a) head of Artemis left in incuse circle; b) chelys (lyre) in rectangle Reverse: BASILEWS right, PROUSIOU; left, winged Athena-Nike standing left, holding wreath in right hand, shield resting on ground in left; monogram before. References: SNG Copenhagen 627; BMC Pontus pg. 209, 4; SNG vonAulock 6880; Laffaille 427; Waddington Recueil, pg. 223, 16 Province, City - Reign: KINGS of MACEDON, Philip III – Antigonos I Monophthalmos Denomination: AE 19 Mint: 323-310 BC Obverse: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin Reverse: Bow-in-bowcase and club, lower tie of bowcase in the form of an A; torch below; countermark: head of lion right within incuse circle References: Price 2800 var. Province, City - Reign: Mysia, Pergamon Denomination: AE 18 Mint: 2nd Century BC Obverse: Head of Athena right, wearing crested helmet; countermark: quiver with arrows or lyre in rectangle (I couldn't find this symbol in any references, does someone know what it is ?) Reverse: ΑΘΗΝΑΣ - ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟY; Trophy consisting of helmet and cuirass; monogram at left References: SNG von Aulock 1374; SNG France 1884.
I don’t have any counter marked coins that are ancients but I do have several in modern issues. My counter stamped moderns go back 200 plus years. They are fun to collect.
I have a Gallienus and Constantine I coin, each countermarked as a 4 maravedis (crown over IIII) in the 1600's under King Philip IV of Spain. https://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/Countermarked/
I have a countermark (sub)collection. Mostly Roman Provincial, some Greek, some Provincial countermarks on Imperial, one or two Byzantine maybe. I posted a handful of new ones in the "Post Your Latest Ancient Thread." I will just go ahead and max out the 10 attachment limit with some favorites... My countermark collection also overlaps with my "bibliographic collection of ancient coins (old collections & published coins)": My new one would count, a Byzantine Heraclius Follis, 620 CE, overstruck or countermarked (depending on perspective, I guess) on an Anastasius Follis from 498-518 CE. It's the 882 "plate coin" Sear's Byzantine Coins... book: A few more: This coin is cited (but not illustrated) in Howgego's (1985) book, Greek Imperial Countermarks, the most important Roman Provincial countermark reference volume (and published in many other places): This coin = RPC (IV) 4976.6 = SNG von Aulock 5572 = SNG Levante 1586 = Robert 27, pl. XXVI No. 77 = Howgego 686 (this coin cited) = others... One of my favorites is this dolphin on a Karystos bronze = BCD Euboia 587: (I have a few other countermark coins from the BCD Collection, including a little Phalanna AE & a Lokri Opuntii from the time of Galba, BCD Lokris-Phokis 157.5 = RPC 1342.14.) I really like this Tiberius from Commagene that was countermarked twice, probably during the reign of Trajan and possibly by Legions involved in his eastern campaigns (one of them is more or less unpublished, the other is scarce, of a type first published by G. Brunk in 1980 [see also below]). It comes from the private collection of Elvira Clain-Stefanelli, who is well-known as the important long-time curator of the U.S. National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC): I have several from the notable countermark collection of Richard Baker. He's best known for his Roman Imperial countermarked coinage and published some well-known articles on countermarks, as well as contributing to Andreas Pangerl's "Museum of Roman Countermarks" (a great introductory resource & research reference): But Richard Baker also had a large collection of Greek countermarks. I was happy to get these: Oh -- almost forgot! -- here's one that used to be Doug Smith's. I find it quite humorous that he once wrote of this coin (while still in his collection) that it was "a total junker"! I also have an absolutely wretched countermark coin from BCD Lokris-Phokis (linked above). It's often more interesting to try to understand why a collector chose an unsightly beast of a coin.) His photo: I also have some with no provenance whatsoever that are just "countermark collection": I really love this Troas, Alexandria type with about 5 countermarks (3 incuse, 2 in relief), most of which clearly reference Apollo, including in his epithet as Apollo Smintheus or "mice slayer"(!). I love the mouse: Here's a video showing a bunch of countermarks that I harvested from group lots, many of them uncleaned, mostly about 15 or 20 years ago: Lastly, if it's not too "meta"... I already mentioned the notable countermark collector/scholar Richard Baker and Howgego's important volume above. One of the best-known numismatic countermark scholars was Gregory G. Brunk (1949-2020), who studied modern as well as ancient countermarks, and published many important books and articles. I don't have any coins he published (that I know of) or from his collection (if he had one) -- but I do have literature from his library! Here is a dealer's fixed price list of ancient coins from "BoMar Ancient Coins" (Bob & Marian Robbins, Tacoma, Washington), postmarked 26 June 1979. It is addressed to Greg Brunk and was sold a decade later at Katen Auction 68, “Fine Numismatic Literature Consigned by Dr. Gregory B. Brunk, Part II” (14 July 1989), Lot 650 (part of). After another 30 years, I purchased it in a group lot of duplicate sale catalogs from the BCD Library: (Incidentally, I have another Brunk booklet catalog that was addressed to RBW! Another of my weird collections: 20th century America fixed price-lists addressed to notable numismatists.)
Emporiae as with dolphin and DD countermarks Hispania, Emporaie AE as 9.91 g, 26 mm, 12 h 69-70 AD O: head Minerva right wearing Corinthian helmet and beaded necklace; beaded circle border; dolphin inside beaded circle countermark on helmet; DD countermark under chin R: Pegasus flying right; beaded circle upper right; EMPOR below; beaded circle border ACIP 1100 (no countermarks); RPC I 257 Album 35:578 09/12/2019; CNG e287:24 09/26/2012; Warden Numismatics The coins have been found in excavations at Emporiae and also in Germania. Traditionally attributed to Legio I Germania or II Augusta which had been at Emporiae then transferred to Germania under Tiberius circa 9-10 AD. Garcia-Bellido associates the coins with Legio I Adiutrix, a legion of veteran sailors formed after the death of Nero and stationed at Emporiae 68-70 AD before being sent to Germania. (The legion had dolphin emblems on their helmets.) https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/ak/article/view/75428/69086
I love countermarks. Suspecting I'd posted some over the years here, I found links to 20, if anybody's interested: https://www.cointalk.com/search/767...te&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=9&c[user][0]=85693
Fascinating countermark collection! Your star & petasos one reminds me of one I posted above in the group photo of 3 coins (top left): Moesia, Callatis AE with two countermarks, one a seven-rayed star (sometimes it came in eight) & a head in circular incuse. I note also that Callatis produced a Hermes in Petasos bronze coin, so the imagery fits... (Also, while trying to look that up I was able to attribute one of my new ones as MI-Theta (retrograde) for Mithradates (II?), which Leu cites as Kovacs p. 79, 22; usually on earlier Mithradatic AEs but mine looks like maybe a Seleukid host (!).)
Pamphylia, Side, AR tetradrachm, c. 200 BC Obv.: Head of Athena r., wearing triple crested Attic helmet. Rev.: Nike flying l., holding wreath on her outstretched r. hand, in field l., pomegranate, wreath and AP Same emission as The New York Sale 20.45 (7.1.2009) Countermark on obv.: seleucid anchor
Thank you so much @Curtis - you have definitely got me back on track with this one. I decided to do a broad acsearch using "Gegenstempel kallatis" - using the German brings up countermarks that get missed in English, I think. German auctions - 10 hits: https://www.acsearch.info/search.ht...de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ot=1¤cy=usd&order=0 In English there are 26 hits: https://www.acsearch.info/search.ht...de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ot=1¤cy=usd&order=0 Anyway, the thing that puzzles me a bit is the countermark head - some say Hermes ("Kopf des Hermes") but others "head of Perseus to right, wearing winged Phrygian helmet" (Leu). In my inexpert opinion, yours looks more like Perseus, mine like Hermes? In any case, I am a lot closer than I was before with this coin and I have you to thank - thank you!
Ah, yes, good idea to search Gegenstempel! In general, countermarks seem especially well-known & studied in German. (A few very good books on Central European Gegenstempel in the RPC era.) It looks to me like you were correct in seeing yours as Hermes in petasos. It's quite a clear specimen, very well stamped. Until there's enough information to be certain, I would assume there are at least two types: Perseus in Phrygian helmet and, seemingly much scarcer, Hermes in petasos. (I think my head is different from yours, possibly the Perseus, but could be a third; I'll need to keep researching it!) * EDIT: A few countermark references available online, cut-&-pasted from my bibliography (I have more, incl. some specific to regions, periods, or host types, but I don't want to fill a whole page, so just some general refs.): Werz-Bech Countermarks (Gegenstempel) = Werz U. 2004. Gegenstempel auf Reichsund Provinzialpragungen der romischen Kaiserzeit. Katalog der Sammlung Dr. Konrad Bech, Mainz. Numismatische Gesellschaft Speyer, Band 45. Softcover, 183pp., 12 plates, German text. [Preview (partial, no plates) on academia] Interesting cataloging, each entry diagramming the placement, shape, and orientation of the countermark. Ulrich Werz (2009) DOWNLOADS = Much larger study & database available here, full-text of Werz’ dissertation on countermarks (very valuable): http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/6876 RPC Countermarks: From RPC Online: https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/countermark First 19.5 of 26 pp. (c. 968 / 1272 entries [RPC CM 1272 = GIC 854, but ~305 in between marked as “GIC –”]) are cross-referenced to Howgego, including subtypes, GIC 1 through GIC 850, 850i, and 850ii (= RPC CM 966, 967, 968) Andreas Pangerl, Museum of Countermaks on Roman Coins = http://romancoins.info/Countermarks.html Martini-Pangerl = Rudolfo Martini (2003) The Pangerl Collection - Catalog and Commentary on the Countermarked Roman Imperial Coins. (Nomismata 6.) Edizioni Ennerre. On Martini’s Academia page: https://www.academia.edu/3821963/ Hourmouziadis Countermark Thesaurus = https://hourmo.eu/53_Countermarks/Countermarks_Thesaurus.html SEE ALSO (Collection Examples, CT): show your marks | Coin Talk (CT 295986, 6 May 2017 – 5 Mar 2018, 5 Pages) Post Your C/S C/M Ancients | Coin Talk (CT 315294, 24 April – 29 Oct 2018, 3 Pages)
Thank you @Curtis - that is a helpful bibliography. I'm going to add it to my digital "library". As for the Hermes countermark, I found one when I was initially attributing mine - so I was in Scythia. This is probably still possible for mine, given the horrible condition of my host coin. The star does seem to go with Kallatis though: Aelis Rex Scythicus Thraciae Αίλις Σκύθης Βασιλέας Θράκης AE 23 SHH 4198 Reference 10.24 g 22.7-23.6 mm 12:00 o'clock VF t = ? mm ρ = ? g/cm^3 σ(240 Hz) = ? MS/m Jugate heads of the Dioscouroi right, wearing laureate piloi. Two horse foreparts jugate right; [ΒΑ]ΣΙΛ[ΕΩΣ] / ΑΙΛΙΟΣ upward either side; monogramm [ΓΔΕ] below. Obverse, countermark, head of Hermes wearing petasos right BM Black Sea --- (3rd-2nd c. BC); Canarache 34; Draganov (2010) 42; Head --- (2nd-1st Century BC); Lindgren ---; Minns ---; Stancomb 320 (180-150 BC) Ex H.D.Rauch Numismata 2011/88,15.4.2011 http://www.hourmo.eu/27_Reges_Thraciae/Aelis/4198_Aelis_AE.html
