Countermarked Coins From Around The World

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Countermarked Coins From Around The World
2
Introduction

• The marking of coins after minting
• Common practice for as long as coinage has
  existed
• Define Countermark
• Reasons for adding marks and stamps
• Look at the design, form and meaning

3
Definition

• Counterstamp/Countermark
• A mark added to a coin
• Subsequent to minting
• With a purpose
• Usually incuse into the design
• Bears some kind of recognizable design, text,
  initials, or picture.

4
Reasons to add a Counterstamp

• Assayers mark-Validate weight, metal content and
  purity
• Satisfy a shortage- use someone elses coins
• Political or Economic Takeover
• Establish Independent State
• Status- Indicate ownership

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PART 1- Ancient Greece and Roman Empire
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Archaic Greek - 6th BC to 479 BC- Aegina
Aegina- Island Nation south of Athens,
Greece http//www.ancient-greece.org/images/maps/a
ncient-greece101.swf
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Archaic Greek - 6th BC to 479 BC- Aegina
Aegina- Greek Turtle Silver- 550 BC
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Archaic Greek - 6th BC to 479 BC
Aegina- Greek Turtle circa 500 BC
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Archaic Greek - 6th BC to 479 BC
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Archaic Greek - 6th BC to 479 BC
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Archaic Greek - 6th BC to 479 BC
Aegina- Greek Turtle with counterstamp
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Archaic Greek - 6th BC to 479 BC
..
Aegina- Greek Turtle with arrow counterstamp
13
Archaic- Coin from Lydia - Darius III 450 -330
BC
Kneeling King with bow- No countermark
http//worldcoincatalog.com/AC/C4/Lydia/Lydia.htm
14
Archaic- Kingdom of Lydia 450 BC
http//worldcoincatalog.com/AC/C4/Lydia/Lydia.htm
15
Archaic- Siglos of Lydia 450 BC
http//worldcoincatalog.com/AC/C4/Lydia/Lydia.htm
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Archaic- Siglos of Lydia- 450 BC
http//worldcoincatalog.com/AC/C4/Lydia/Lydia.htm
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Archaic- Siglos of Lydia 450 BC
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Archaic Period
Siglos- Lydia- 450 BC
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Classical Greek- -Pamphylia
Pamphylia
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Classical Period- Pamphylia (Turkey)- City of
Perge
http//www.mapofturkey.info/d/3_1.asp
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Greek Classical Period Gold Stater- Side
.
Side c.400-380 BC, Stater Athena/ standing left,
rev Pamphylian legend, naked Apollo standing
left- 2 counterstamps- four legged animal
22
Classical Period
Silver Tetradrachm-Pamphylia- no counterstamp
300-200 BC Athena/Nike
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Classical Period
Silver Tetradrachm- Pamphylia 333BC Obv-Athena
facing right, Nike Advancing- Rev Seleukid
Counterstamp (anchor)
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Classical Period
Silver Tetradrachm- Pamphylia Anchor C/M
25
Classical Period
Silver Tetradrachm- Pamphylia (Side) Anchor C/M
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Classical Period
Silver Tetradrachm- Pamphylia Counterstamp- Bow
in Bowcase
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Classical Period
Silver Tetradrachm- C/M- Bow in Bowcase
28
Classical Period
Silver Tetradrachm- Pamphylia (Side) C/M- Lyre
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Classical Period
Silver Tetradrachm- Pamphylia Countermark-Bee
Bowcase
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Classical Period
.
PAMPHYLIA Side. 3rd - 2nd century B.C. AR drachm
(3.76 g). Bee countermark.
31
Classical Period
KINGS of MACEDON. Alexander III the Great.
336-323 BC. Tetradrachm . (195/4 BC). Head of
Herakles right, wearing lion skin/ Zeus enthroned
left. TRAL and bowcase in circular incuse
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Classical Period- Alexander the Great-
Tetradrachm (190 BC)

• The TRAL countermark was applied in Tralles,
  Lydia.
• Other bow and bowcase countermarks on to
  Pergamon, Ephesos, Sardes, Tralles, Laodikeia,
  and Apameia.
• Linked to the introduction of the cistophoric
  coinage circa 180 BC.
• Permitted the circulation of Attic weight coins
  in the years following political reform.

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Classical Period
MACEDONIAN KINGS Alexander the Great. 336-323
B.C. AR tetradrachm (28 mm, 16.82 g). Aspendus
mint. Head of Heracles/ Zeus enthroned left,
holding eagle and sceptre. Countermark head of
Helios facing front
34
Hellenistic Period
.
Tetradrachm- 320 BC Basileos
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Hellenistic Period (336 BC-30 BC)
.
305 BC Paphos Mint-Basileos Ptolemy I and II AR
Tetradrachm Multiple Bankers Marks Date 305-284
BCObverse Diademed bust righteverse Eagle
standing left 26.97 mm
36
Hellenistic Period
After 250 BC. AR Didrachm (8.16g). Turreted head
of Nymph Sinope left countermark radiate head
of Helios facing, S?????O? Rev Poseidon sitting
on throne left, holding dolphin and trident
countermark laureate head of horned Poseidon
left.
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Hellenistic Period
Bythinia-228BC Three Countermarks Altar, Lyre,
Goddess
38
Hellenistic Period
  Lycia Termessus Minor AE22 / Bee
CounterstampDate 1st century BCObverse
Laureate head of Zeus right, sceptre
behindReverse Legend above and beneath winged
thunderbolt, Bee countermark Size 22.8 mm
weight 3.9 grams
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Roman
Tiberius-(Twelve Caesars) Countermarks
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Roman Counterstamped Coins

• Counterstamped Roman Coins are of great
  historical value.
• Help trace the movement of Roman Legions across
  Europe
• Shed Light on political uprisings and successions
• Edwin Howgego- British
• Museum of Countermarks on Roman Coins

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Roman
Æ Sestertius (24.75 gm). Struck 8-10 AD..XLI for
countermark. Æ As (10.63gm). Struck 12-14 AD.
TIB in incuse oval.
42
Roman
AUGUSTUS. A Pair of Augustan denarii, both with
Vespasian counterstamps. Countermarked at
Ephesos, circa 74-79 AD. both with bold
counterstamps. Both Howgego 839
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Roman
CILICIA, Tarsus. Hadrian. 117-138 AD. AR
Tetradrachm Countermarked under Caracalla,
215-217 AD. laureate head of Caracalla right,
AMKPrwth Megisth Kallisth (First, Greatest,
Most Beautiful), epithets granted to the city of
Tarsus upon Caracalla's arrival there in 215 AD.
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Roman Coin Expert- Christopher Howgego
Project director, Roman Provincial Coinage in
the Antonine Period University Lecturer in
Numismatics, Reader in Greek and Roman
Numismatics., Faculty of ClassicsSenior
Assistant Keeper, The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford,
UK. 1994 ''Coin circulation and the integration
of the Roman economy'', 1995 ''The circulation
of silver coins, models of the Roman economy
1995 Ancient History from Coins, Routledge,
London, 176.
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Chris Howgego Book
46
Roman- X Legion
"X" for LEGIO X GEMINA on Nero Dupondius,
Pannonia Superior, possible applied later during
Vespasianus
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Roman- XII Legion
Two well-worn coins with XII Legion Fulminata
Countermark (Turkey) For List of Roman Legions
http//www.romancoins.info/Legions.html
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Roman- 42 NummiDenominational Counterstamp
"XLII" on Galba As, such countermarks are known
to have been used by the Ostrogoths and Vandals
to mark Dupondi as 42 Nummi (XLII). They prove
coins being in circulation some 400 years or more
after their initial issue.
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Roman- Thrace
THRACE Imbros. Augustus 27 B.C. - A.D. 14. AE
14. Bare head right. COUNTERMARK (Howgego 431)
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Museum of Countermarks on Roman Coins (online
museum)
http//www.romancoins.info/Countermarks-start.html
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PART 2- Spain, Mexico and the New World

• Starting in 1500s
• Coins used for trade
• Bankers marks
• Chopmarks
• Assayers marks
• Spanish Cobs
• Pillar Dollars
• BustDollars
• Mexico Eagle Dollars
• U.S Trade Dollar

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Assayers marks

•     Chinese chopmarked foreign silver coins to
• Identify the payers who handed out the coin as
  payment
• Guarantee the fineness of the coins by the
  merchant or local bank who chopped
• Assay the coin for its silver fineness and
  authenticate it by deep chopping

http//www.chopmarks.com/stai/stai2/stai2-3.htm
http//www.sycee-on-line.com
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Assayers marks- Cob Coinage 1580-1732
1730 Cob- Mexico 8 Reales- With Countermarks from
Island of Madura, Sultnate of Soumanap
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Assayers marks- Cob Coinage 1530-1732
1653 Cob- Mexico 8 Reales
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Assayers marks- Cob Coinage 1530-1732
Spanish Colonial Mexico, 4 Reales Cob. Cast from
1634-1665 http//www.sycee-on-line.com/Spanis38.jp
g
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Assayers marks
Spanish 8-reales Cob http//www.sycee-on-line.com/
Spanis38.jpg
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Mexico- Pillar Dollar 8 Reales (1732-1789)
1733 Pillar Dollar- Without Countermarks
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Assayers marks- Pillar Dollar (1732-1789)
1736 Pillar Dollar- Mexico- Oriental Chopmarks
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Assayers marks-Pillar Dollar- (1732-1789)
1744 Pillar Dollar- Mexico- Oriental Chopmarks
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Assayers marks- Pillar Dollar (eight Reales-
1732-1789)
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Countermarks - Pillar Dollar (eight Reales-
1732-1789)
Mexico 1757 8-Reales Pillar Dollar Jamaican
George III Countermark-both sides
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Assayers marks- Pillar Dollar (eight Reales-
1732-1789)
Piece of eight with Curacao countermark- Large 3
in serrate incuse punch Applied circa 1819-25
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Assayers marks- Bust Mexico Eight Reales
(1772-1821)
1776 Charles III 8-Reales- No Countermark
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Assayers Marks- Bust Mexico 8 Reales
1778 8 Reales-Mexico. Counterstamped-Java
1775 8R- Sumatra
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Assayers marks- Bust Mexico Eight Reales
(1772-1821)
1791 Charles IIII 8-Reales- With Villa Gran
(Mexico??) Countermark
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Assayers marks- Bust Mexico Eight Reales
(1772-1821)
1894 Charles IV 8-Reales with 16-Bitt
countermark both sides and serrated punch- From
Dominica (Santo Domingo)-1813 issue
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Assayers marks- Bust 8-Reales (1772-1821)
1794- 8-Reales from Mexico with George III
Countermark (England)
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Assayers marks- Bust 8-Reales (1772-1821)
1806- 8-Reales from Lima with Minas Gerais
(Brazil) Countermark- both sides
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Assayers marks- Bust 8-Reales (1772-1821)
1809- 8-Reales with Chopmarks
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Chopmarks- Mexican Eagle Dollars (1824-1897)
1895 Mexico Eagle Dollar- Without Chopmarks Cap
and rays
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Chopmarks- Mexican Eagle Dollars (1824-1897)
1868 Mexico Eagle Dollar- Chinese Chopmarks
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Assayers marks- Mexican Eagle Dollars
1885 Mexico- Eagle Dollar
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Various Chopmarks
http//www.chopmarks.com/catalogo/serie_c/c.htm
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U.S. Trade Dollar- 1873-1885
1880 Trade Dollar- No Chopmarks
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U.S. Trade Dollar- 1873-1885
1880 Trade Dollar- Chopmarks (China)
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Chopmarks- U.S. Trade Dollar- 1873-1885
1874 Trade Dollar- Deeply Chopmarked
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Chopmarks- US Trade Dollar
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Chopmarks- US Trade Dollar
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Assayers marks- Half Eagle
Rare 1880 U.S. Half eagle with Counterstamp
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Assayers marks
1766 Portuguese Golden Joe King John V of
Portugal Counterstamped by Ephraim Brasher
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A Brasher Doubloon- 1787 A Counterstamped coin
Ephraim Brasher was authorized to issue coins-
this is an original design- Brasher is designer
and assayer
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Brasher Doubloons- 1787
Yale, National Numismatic Collection, and
Garrett Specimens Countermark placement varies
83
Assayers marks
8 Escudo 1797 Gold
84
Assayers marks-William Hollingshead
Brazilian 6400 Reis dated 1751 minted at Rio De
Janeiro. Counterstamped on the reverse "WH for
William Hollingshead
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Part 3- Other Countermarks

• Monarchial
• Political
• Shortages
• Independent State
• Ownership

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Monarchial Succession- Brazil
The coat of Arms of Joao- Prince Regent 1799-1818
on Earlier 1796 Maria The Widow 20 Reales Coin
87
Monarchial Succesion
1812- 960 Reis- Brazil- The Coat of Arms of Joao-
Seen as Counterstamp on 1796 Coin (Prior Slide)
88
Political
1761- North Wales Fox Half Penny with
inscription LIBERTY
89
Political
Mexico- 1812- 8 Reales with Morelos Counterstamp
and Cut-out
90
Shortages- Britain- George III
The head of a fool in the neck of an ass Two
heads not worth a crown
Mexico 8 Reales 1795 with British Counterstamp
91
Shortages and Trade- Guatemala over Peru
1888 Peru One Sol- Guatemala Counterstamp
92
Independent State- Republica de Piratina (Brazil)
Brazil Gold 20,000 Reis, 1726, Countermarked 1835
93
Independent StateAnguilla
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Independent States-State of Hejaz (Lawrence of
Arabia)
T. E. Lawrence, (Lawrence of Arabia), assisted
Husain ibn Ali, the Amir of Mecca, lead a revolt
against the Ottoman Turks during WW I. 40 Para
Coin with Counterstamp of Hejaz (1916-21)
95
Ownership
Renaissance times- Eagle of Gonzaga on Æ
Sestertius PLOTINA, wife of Trajan. Augusta,
105-123 AD. Struck 112 AD. The Gonzagas were
the rulers of Mantua, a city with an important
ancient Roman connection
96
Countermarked Coins A Broad ,interesting theme
for collecting and studying