The Countermark That Shouldn't Be: A Hadrian Alexandrian Drachm

Drachm of Alexandria, Hadrian, AD 131/2, RPC 5790
34mm, 20.8g
Obverse: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Hadrian right, seen from rear
Reverse: Hadrian standing in quadriga of horses right, holding eagle-tipped sceptre and branch

I was very lucky to win this Hadrian Alexandrian drachm from Savoca a few weeks back. It wasn’t mentioned in the title or description, but I was certain that someone would notice the countermark on its obverse, something which almost never occurs on Alexandrian coins. I put in a very high bid (impulsive), expecting to still lose, but actually came away with it at a relatively modest price!

Once I had it in hand, I went through Howgego’s Greek Imperial Countermarks to find a match, and decided it was closest to #324, an eagle with wings half open, ‘probably applied at Tralles.’ The left wing is lightly impressed and there’s some corrosion down the middle, but when flipped 90 degrees it looks pretty close to the cruder examples of the type. The staff at RPC thought it was interesting enough to make it the default image for the type, which made me smile.

Because of the relatively stable political and monetary system the Romans established in Alexandria, countermarking was not practiced in Roman Egypt (the Ptolemies did it, however). Because of the closed monetary system in Egypt, Alexandrian coins shouldn’t have left the province, either. But that system wasn’t fool proof, and on a very rare basis turn up as far away as England, and even hoarded in Europe. Even more rarely, these also ended up getting countermarked, since they didn't exactly fit into the monetary system anywhere else. RPC lists two other examples known to be countermarked, so it’s quite a rarity.

All of this really leaves me wishing I could learn the rest of its story. It’s certainly had an interesting life. Who took it out of Egypt, and why? Did they have to haggle to pass it off as a good coin in some Asia Minor market?

Does anyone else have any examples of coins that shouldn’t exist, whether it’s mixed up dies, strange overstrikes, or something else?

 

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Maybe it passed for a sestertius when it left the country.

 

Very interesting. Glad it found a good and appreciative home.

 

I came across an unusual billon tetradrachm of Caracalla, Antioch mint. I think I paid $20 for it on eBay, from an Israeli dealer who specializes in hoard coins.

It's unusual in the treatment of the portrait, which renders Caracalla in the style of Heracles, similar to the tetradrachms of Alexander III. There is a definite flow of the hair, as well as what seems to be a lion's ear and mouth.

I cannot find any reference for this specific treatment of the portrait. David Sear gave me a catalog reference that doesn't match this style, so perhaps it was a one-off.

The condition is pretty crude.

 

Wow! I'm envious! What an interesting coin .

 

Do you have a larger image? I can't see the details but at this size/resolution think it looks like corrosion (vertically, towards the back of his head) made the curls at the back of his head look like a lion scalp. I think I see a laurel wreath. Perhaps the resemblance to a lion skin headdress is an optical illusion caused by corrosion. A larger/better image might lead to a different conclusion.

 

Yes, there's corrosion above the head, or at least a dip in the flan that caused some of the legend to go missing.

This is the best (and only) image that I have right now. It is from eBay and not very good. I need to get a digital camera and learn to take my own pics.

I did enlarge the image in Photoshop, but it is still pretty grainy.

I've looked at quite a few tetradrachms of Caracalla. He certainly had numerous profile styles, probably the most of the later Roman emperors. I've noticed that the hair on the back of the portrait is normally tightly cropped. Here the hair flows backwards. Also, the hair in front flows upwards.

I see what you mean by evidence of a laurel branch. There seems to be a slight point above the head that might indicate the existence of such a branch. Would it be possible that it could be part of the design, along the flowing hair? There's also a ribbon behind the head. Could the engraver be incorporating several elements?

Caracalla had an obsession with the legend of Alexander III, going a far as equipping some of his soldiers in Macedonian garb!

So, I guess I need to get the camera and try my hand. I guess I'm something of a Luddite.

 

Very interesting post. Information on countermarks is much appreciated.

 

although hard to see even with the larger image, your coin looks a lot like this one:

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=847105
Would be interesting to see the reverse.

 

You might be right. I need to produce much better images of both sides. I don't own a digital camera or a smart phone.

I need to buy camera, something that I've put off doing for the past 20 years or so....

I think there are differences in the treatment of the hair. On my example the hair is cruder in nature. By that I mean it is longer, and wavier and not as finely detailed as your coin.

I was able to remove some of the encrustation, so the obverse is a little clearer.

Once I have better images of this coin I'll post it on a new thread.

Thanks for your input.

 

I’m usually the envious one, @TIF, but thank you! This is one of those areas where there are many special coins for those willing to appreciate them.

 

BTW @SeptimusT - cool countermark on an interesting coin - and fun to see it on display! congrats on the great find.