Those worn provincials vs Rome mints

[basemetal]

To some of you this may seem like one of those "and so what" or "newbie" topics. 
Those provincials, all those worn, worn provincials. 
Do they point out a basic fact that out in the boonies, coins of every stripe were circulated, and circulated untll very, very worn? Even the silver.
The reason I post this is because I got a lot of the ah..."Hadrian's Tour" coins.  Of course they were worn because they are surviving examples of affordable coins of the type.  Another definition:
More cheap large worn coins.
But I'm thinking that even then so far from rome and it's so often issues and perhaps given that even with provincial mints doing their parts, coins in those regions stayed in circulation on, and on, and on.
Discussion? 

[whitetd49]

You are absolutely correct.  The very reason for provincial coin production was often the shortage of Imperial currency.  Even within the Empire, coinage shortages existed, necessitating the prolongation of their useage with countermarks.  Thus, study of countermarks and the nuances of fine dies is often mutually exclusive!

[basemetal]

Thank you white49d!
I have 3 countermarked coins on the way and have several already.  I've always found them fascinating.  In an odd way, I've always sort of felt that you actually get two coins for the price of one.  The original, if legible, and the origin of the countermark.  I especially love the ones that have a discernable image of the original emperor and the countermark itself.  There is often so much history there.

[PeterD]

As I understand it, provincial bronzes were mostly only issued now and again and circulated mostly in the area of the city that issued them. I'm not sure if Imperial bronzes circulated alongside them, but as they don't seem to bear any relationship to one another, perhaps not. Probably if you were a visitor from Rome you had to buy them with your denarii at the local money changers.

Bronze coins, provincial or imperial, being of lower value, were in constant circulation and thus are usually quite worn. It's a bit like our five pound notes which look as if they have been screwed up, jumped on and put through a mangle, whereas fifty pound notes look pristine. Also bear in mind that the purpose of minting coins was to pay the Imperial bills - the army, new palaces etc. - which needed silver or gold coins. Therefore bronze coins were not a priority. Better to wait until they were worn out and countermark them.