I didn't chose to post all the favorite coins in one thread.; So here are the remaining five. Hope you like them. The first 2 are a couple of silver Tets representing Seleucid Emperor Antiochos Grypos, and Greek usurper Alexander Zebinas. The third coin figures the famous queen of Egypt Cleopatra being counter marked on a Roman coin with Zeus on obverse,circa 30 BC. Then there is the ancient tetradrachm of the owl which was not struck in Athens. Finally,a bronze coin shows Vabalathus, son of Zenobia on one side along with Emperor Auralian on reverse.
I like #3 but the host coin is a Seleucid Antiochus not Roman. That is a clear strike of the countermark and fortunate that the damage to the reverse was minimal. I'm no student of Seleucids so don't have the ID off the top of my head but someone here should.
Thank you. For number 3 concerning Zeus counter marked with Cleopatra, well M. Kreuzer attributed numerous similar coins to Cleopatra VII herself. But most standard references Attributed them to Ptolemy IV ( Seleucid). Some sources speculated that they might have been struck by the same mint which produced the Tetradrachm of Marc Antony and Cleopatra, Anyway, I can now read clearly on reverse " AntioXoy..." thus Seleucid. Hope I can get a coin with the full bust of Cleopatra as soon as possible.
