Usually when a nation strikes massively debased coinage it is because of major stress, enemy at gates, losing a major war, famine, etc. I have never heard of one issuing such coins when everything was going terrifically. Well, here is one. SASANIAN KINGS. Shahpur I. AD. 240-272. AE Drachm (3.68 gm; 24 mm). Pellet on obverse behind the crown. Sunrise 741var. Choice Good VF / VF. Dark brown reddish patina. Not in Sunrise, most likely overstruck on a Roman Antoniniaus. Rare This coin is fairly common in silver. It will weigh around 4.3 grams, and very well regulated at that. However, this one is clearly light for the issue at 3.68 grams, and very copper to boot. The key here is its around 95% copper, 5% silver. This coin was struck when the Persian armies were marching on the Roman East, took the Roman emperor Valerian prisoner, etc. It seems Shapur did not feel the Roman territories he took over really deserved the good silver coinage he provided to his empire, since they were being given 95% copper, silver washed pieces of crud instead. So, Shapur simply overstruck the Roman coins with his design and placed them in circulation. Anyone else ever heard of a "reverse emergency money" like this? Btw, I saw the name of underbidder and thought I recognized it here. I am sorry if I overbid you, but in the heat of auction, not knowing if other bidders, etc. I had to bid.
Nice capture, @medoraman SHAPUR I SASANIAN KINGS. Shapur I. AD. 240-272. Æ Tetradrachm (10.78 gm; 27 mm). Mint I (“Ctesiphon”), phase 1a, ca. AD 240-244. Obv: Bust of Shapur I right, wearing diadem and mural crown with korymbos / Rev: Fire altar, flanked by two attendants wearing diadems (type 2) and mural crowns. SNS type IIa1/1a, style Abi, pl. 20, 5-A8; Göbl type II/1; Paruck 95; Saeedi -; Sunrise 731(this coin). From The Sunrise Collection Ex: Pars Coins
Nice pick-up @medoraman ! I also have one of these debased drachms of Shapur I, though mine seems to be a little bit better silver than yours: Robert Gobl, in his "Sasanian Numismatics" (Section 26) mentions this as the only significant debasement in the Sasanian drachm series. He mentions the possibility of overstriking on captured debased Roman antoniniani, but notes that none of Shapur's coins seems to have any trace of the under type visible. Gobl speculates that Shapur's troops actually captured a bunch of unstruck Roman planchets which were then used to strike Shapur's coins, which would explain the lack of undertype. I was an underbidder on the OP coin, but don't feel guilty about winning, I'm glad it went to someone who can appreciate it. I ended up winning seven lots in the auction, including some very rare types that I will be posting soon.
Shapur I. AD. 240-272. Silvered/AE Drachm (3.86 gm; 25 mm). This Shapur I is thinly silvered like much of the Roman coinage of the 3rd century.
I don't see how you could overstrike a Roman antoninianus with large Sasanian drachm dies without first hammering the coins flat and spread. This would probably make the flans a lot more ragged on the edges than what we see here but would erase all original detail. I don't see how the coins shown could have started as debased Roman antoniniani unless they were melted and new flans cast.
Well, early Sasanian coins, made by his father, were known to have started off as hammered out older issues. As well, I have seen a medieval reenactor coiner hammer out pre 83 cents and strike them with new designs. Post 83 cents he says the copper flakes off the zinc. I think its a lot more doable than you think. Now, is it possible some were captured flans from the mint? Sure it would be. The reenactor I talked to said any metal can be hammered flatter and wider except for anything with nickel. Nickel is simply too brittle and will never broaden out as a flan, instead cracking. So you would be right all US coins except for cents this would never work for.
