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<p>[QUOTE="jamesicus, post: 3207386, member: 14873"]<font face="Times New Roman">Still very much a work in progress. As before, I solicit any comments or corrections.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">This is a rewrite of the “front end” of my soon to be web page - I have now included links to several excellent online reference resources. I have also included a pic, accompanied by descriptive text, of a very early countermarked Augustus Dupondius - probably intended for use on the Germanic frontier. I have not revised the remainder of the page - that is my next project …………</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">Introduction</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">As Mattingly points out in "Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum" (BMCRE), Volume I, the main purpose of Countermarks on coins was to extend their circulation under new authority.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">Countermarks on Roman coins were not used until Augustus became Emperor. They first appear on his moneyer series of aes coinage.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">In his article "The Countermark PROB on Coins of Claudius I from Britain" (The Numismatic Chronicle Vol. 148 {1988}, pp. 53-61), Robert Kenyon records that after his conquest of Britain in 42AD (and maybe planned before) Claudius issued large quantities of early OB CIVES SERVATOS (without PP) and SPES Sestertii of 41AD (minted in Rome) for use in general commerce in Britain.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">All of this coinage was countermarked <b>PROB</b> (Probatum=approved) on the coin obverse.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">Claudian and other early aes coins were countermarked for use throughout (especially) the northern frontiers of the Empire, including Britain. The marks may have been applied by officials to confirm the continued validity of old, much worn and/or inferior coins, particularly when the supply of new coins to the frontier areas fell short of established goals. There were other occasions when a shortage of aes coinage in Britain may have led to locally-produced coins being countermarked and accepted as official issues.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">It seems that there was a large amount of irregular coinage (struck from locally made unofficial dies) produced in Gaul with Roman Imperial approval in order to provide additional currency, especially in Britain following the conquest of that country by Claudius. These coins, which usually were of inferior design and execution, were also countermarked <b>PROB</b> on the coin obverse and circulated as legal tender despite their often flawed appearance.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">The countermarks were heavily incused (stamped within a border) in the coin obverses in order to survive prolonged usage and wear.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><b><font face="Times New Roman">REFERENCE RESOURCES</font></b></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.accla.org/actaaccla/Baker1984.pdf" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.accla.org/actaaccla/Baker1984.pdf" rel="nofollow">The Countermarks found on Ancient Roman coins - A brief Introduction</a> - Richard Baker (PDF)</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://kevinscoins.ancients.info/countermarks/counter.htm" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://kevinscoins.ancients.info/countermarks/counter.htm" rel="nofollow">Roman Countermarked Coins</a> - Kevins Coins</font></p><p><br /></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.numsoc.net/rombrit.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.numsoc.net/rombrit.html" rel="nofollow">Coinage of Britain during the Roman Occupation by Peter R. Thompson</a> - The Ormskirk & West Lancashire Numismatic Society</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://mnk.pl/images/upload/o-muzeum/wydawnictwa/Notae/Tom%20I/A%20Kunisz%20Money%20in%20the%20Military%20Community%20in%20the%20Early%20Empire.PDF" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://mnk.pl/images/upload/o-muzeum/wydawnictwa/Notae/Tom%20I/A%20Kunisz%20Money%20in%20the%20Military%20Community%20in%20the%20Early%20Empire.PDF" rel="nofollow">Money in the Military Community in the Early Empire by Andrzej Kunisz</a> - Silesian University, Kratowice (PDF)</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.romancoins.info/Countermarks.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.romancoins.info/Countermarks.html" rel="nofollow">Museum of Countermarks on Roman Coins</a> - Roman Coins & More - Roman Numismatic Gallery</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><b>Mattingly, Harold: Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum (BMCRE), Volume 1 (Augustus to Vitellius)</b> - Standard reference Book & Catalog (British Museum Publication)</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">The earliest countermarked Roman coins were the "moneyer" issue sestertii, dupondii & asses of Augustus. These were the coins provided to the Legions serving on the German frontier and they were intended for use by both the Roman soldiers and the local populace. A countermark was required because this coinage was produced by the authority of the senate (SC - Senatus Consultus) and therefor was held to be unofficial outside the established boundaries of the Empire. At first, the head Roman official in each jurisdiction the coin travelled through stamped his validating countermark on the obverse. Evidently this was determined to be un-necessary and confusing due to the proliferation of stamps and so the countermark of Augustus alone was used.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><img src="http://jp29.org/000augcounters.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><i>BMCRE, Vol. I, AUGUSTUS, DUPONDIUS, Rome, No. 141, 15 BC (27mm, 8.35gm)</i></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">Obverse depiction: Oak Wreath between two laurel branches</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">Inscription: <b>AVGVSTVS TRIBVNIC POTEST</b> (in three lines within oak wreath)</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">Four countermarks - hard to distinguish: maybe the (original?)</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">top left one is the stylized <b>CA</b> countermark of Augustus.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">Reverse depiction & Inscription:</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><b>L SVRDINIVS IIIVIR AAAFF</b> around large <b>S C</b></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">Unusually located reverse Countermark <b>?</b> in oval incuse below SC.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"></font>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="jamesicus, post: 3207386, member: 14873"][FONT=Times New Roman]Still very much a work in progress. As before, I solicit any comments or corrections. This is a rewrite of the “front end” of my soon to be web page - I have now included links to several excellent online reference resources. I have also included a pic, accompanied by descriptive text, of a very early countermarked Augustus Dupondius - probably intended for use on the Germanic frontier. I have not revised the remainder of the page - that is my next project ………… Introduction As Mattingly points out in "Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum" (BMCRE), Volume I, the main purpose of Countermarks on coins was to extend their circulation under new authority. Countermarks on Roman coins were not used until Augustus became Emperor. They first appear on his moneyer series of aes coinage. In his article "The Countermark PROB on Coins of Claudius I from Britain" (The Numismatic Chronicle Vol. 148 {1988}, pp. 53-61), Robert Kenyon records that after his conquest of Britain in 42AD (and maybe planned before) Claudius issued large quantities of early OB CIVES SERVATOS (without PP) and SPES Sestertii of 41AD (minted in Rome) for use in general commerce in Britain. All of this coinage was countermarked [B]PROB[/B] (Probatum=approved) on the coin obverse. Claudian and other early aes coins were countermarked for use throughout (especially) the northern frontiers of the Empire, including Britain. The marks may have been applied by officials to confirm the continued validity of old, much worn and/or inferior coins, particularly when the supply of new coins to the frontier areas fell short of established goals. There were other occasions when a shortage of aes coinage in Britain may have led to locally-produced coins being countermarked and accepted as official issues. It seems that there was a large amount of irregular coinage (struck from locally made unofficial dies) produced in Gaul with Roman Imperial approval in order to provide additional currency, especially in Britain following the conquest of that country by Claudius. These coins, which usually were of inferior design and execution, were also countermarked [B]PROB[/B] on the coin obverse and circulated as legal tender despite their often flawed appearance. The countermarks were heavily incused (stamped within a border) in the coin obverses in order to survive prolonged usage and wear. [/FONT] [B][FONT=Times New Roman]REFERENCE RESOURCES[/FONT][/B] [FONT=Times New Roman] [URL='https://www.accla.org/actaaccla/Baker1984.pdf']The Countermarks found on Ancient Roman coins - A brief Introduction[/URL] - Richard Baker (PDF) [URL='http://kevinscoins.ancients.info/countermarks/counter.htm']Roman Countermarked Coins[/URL] - Kevins Coins[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman][URL='http://www.numsoc.net/rombrit.html']Coinage of Britain during the Roman Occupation by Peter R. Thompson[/URL] - The Ormskirk & West Lancashire Numismatic Society [URL='http://mnk.pl/images/upload/o-muzeum/wydawnictwa/Notae/Tom%20I/A%20Kunisz%20Money%20in%20the%20Military%20Community%20in%20the%20Early%20Empire.PDF']Money in the Military Community in the Early Empire by Andrzej Kunisz[/URL] - Silesian University, Kratowice (PDF) [URL='http://www.romancoins.info/Countermarks.html']Museum of Countermarks on Roman Coins[/URL] - Roman Coins & More - Roman Numismatic Gallery [B]Mattingly, Harold: Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum (BMCRE), Volume 1 (Augustus to Vitellius)[/B] - Standard reference Book & Catalog (British Museum Publication) The earliest countermarked Roman coins were the "moneyer" issue sestertii, dupondii & asses of Augustus. These were the coins provided to the Legions serving on the German frontier and they were intended for use by both the Roman soldiers and the local populace. A countermark was required because this coinage was produced by the authority of the senate (SC - Senatus Consultus) and therefor was held to be unofficial outside the established boundaries of the Empire. At first, the head Roman official in each jurisdiction the coin travelled through stamped his validating countermark on the obverse. Evidently this was determined to be un-necessary and confusing due to the proliferation of stamps and so the countermark of Augustus alone was used. [IMG]http://jp29.org/000augcounters.jpg[/IMG] [I]BMCRE, Vol. I, AUGUSTUS, DUPONDIUS, Rome, No. 141, 15 BC (27mm, 8.35gm)[/I] Obverse depiction: Oak Wreath between two laurel branches Inscription: [B]AVGVSTVS TRIBVNIC POTEST[/B] (in three lines within oak wreath) Four countermarks - hard to distinguish: maybe the (original?) top left one is the stylized [B]CA[/B] countermark of Augustus. Reverse depiction & Inscription: [B]L SVRDINIVS IIIVIR AAAFF[/B] around large [B]S C[/B] Unusually located reverse Countermark [B]?[/B] in oval incuse below SC. [/FONT][/QUOTE]
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