Hi all! It's been a while since I posted here. I've been lurking the past couple of days though, and it's great to see the same faces and some new ones posting about and enjoying the wonderful hobby of ancient coins! As I was paging through my ancient collection this week, I came across this Marc Antony legionary denarius. I noticed the punch mark on it, and got to wondering what it was. Is the punch above the praetorian war galley that vaguely resembles an American Indian thunderbird symbol considered a countermark or a banker's mark? What differentiates the two? Here's a decent description of countermarks on ancient Roman coinage from an ancient collectors club in Los Angeles. http://www.accla.org/actaaccla/baker2.html Lastly, please post your ancient coins with countermarks or banker's marks. THE TRIUMVIRS Mark Antony (32-31 BC) AR Denarius (3.45g, 18mm). OBV: ANT AVG above, Praetorian galley right with rowers, III VIR R P C below. REV: Legionary eagle (aquila) between two standards (signa), LEG VII across lower field.
Hi Race! The ACCLA article is pretty much the way I've always differentiated between the bankers marks and countermarks. In keeping with your Marc Antony theme, here's a coin with some banker's marks on them. Funny how they are all on Cleopatra.
Nice coin, I still need one. My few marks: Petillius Capitolinus (43 B.C.) AR Denarius O: CAPITOLINVS, Bare head of bearded Jupiter right. R: PETILLIVS, The Capitoline Temple of Jupiter: richly decorated hexastyle façade with ornamented pediment and garlands hanging within three openings; [PE]TILLIVS in exergue. Rome 3.5g 20mm Crawford 487/1, Sydenham 1149 M. CIPIUS (115-114 B.C.) AR Denarius O: Helmeted head of Roma right.; before, M. CIPI. M. F.; behind, X. R: Victory in biga right, raising palmfrond in right, reins in left, rudder below, ROMA in ex. Rome 17mm 3.8g Syd 546. Cr289/1 L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi (90 B.C.) AR Denarius O: Laureate Head of Apollo right; symbol behind. R: L PISO FRVGI, horseman, holding palm frond and reins, on horse galloping right; symbol below. Rome Mint 3.33g 19mm Crawford 340/1
Some of these legionary denarii could be real magnets for banker's marks. I really like this one with I think at least three marks on it.
Issues famous for bad metal and many fourrees would tend to attrack attention from people who certified coins as good. Notice my coins have no marks but they do have the most classic fourree seams of any coins I own. .
nice, and cool paper RB...where u been hiding? here's a coin with countermarks characteristic of a julio-caudian coin from (or at least countermarked in) moesia. has two helmets, a AVG and a TICA. Reverse shows a dolphin . sorry for the pics...to lazy to reshoot this one. this place is nice if any of you aren't familiar with it... http://www.romancoins.info/Countermarks-start.html
I chose my 8 Reales (Mexico) for this thread simply because of the number of 'Banker's' (Traders) marks on it, (front and back). This coin is 'well travelled'.
Hey Bannon => long time, no hear (we miss ya) ... I even slipped-on my sweet Hadgi avatar for ya!! Ummm, I didn't read your link, but I'm banking that these are banker's marks ... Oh, and I'm thinking that countermarks and/or overstrikes have a bit more to 'em ...
Good to be back! Coin friends, I must confess, I spent the last several months on a hobby other than ancient coins. Will you still take me back!?! I bought a 1965 Mustang, the restoration of which has sucked up all of my budget and then some, that used to go into ancient coins. I've had classic cars before in the past, but I had forgotten how easy it is to dump incredible amounts of $$$ into them just to keep the old jalopies on the road. On the flip side, if you're a fan of American muscle cars, there's nothing that sounds quite like this.
Sweet rides, fellas ... I know that Bing is also a proud Mustang owner (I'm totally jealous) => yah, my dear ol' Dad drove a '65 Mustang before I was old enough to get my driver's license ... but by the time it was my turn to learn to drive, he'd already sold it and bought the family a stinkin' Vega station wagon!! ... and "not" this one ... (*sigh*)
@>R.B. If you keep it between us, I will let you know that the side skirts are G.M. equipment. (Don't hold it against me.)