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Author Topic: Roman coins overstruck by Spain  (Read 867 times)

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Online Victor C

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Roman coins overstruck by Spain
« on: September 30, 2022, 01:42:47 pm »

These two Late Roman bronze coins seem to have been countermarked as 4 maravedis --IIII with a crown over the top.  I am not exactly sure when these coins were re-introduced, but I have seen similar struck in the 1600's under Philip IV of Spain; so over a thousand years later and these two coins were circulating again.


Gallienus
A.D. 260- 268
Ӕ Antoninianus
20x21mm    3.0g
GALLIENVS AVG; radiate head right.
SECVRIT PERPET; Securitas standing facing, head left, leaning on column to right and holding scepter H in right field.
RIC IV Rome 280


Constantine I
A.D. 312- 313
22mm   4.1g
IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG laureate, draped, seen from the rear.
SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI  Legionary eagle (to the left) between two vexilla, that on left surmounted by a right hand, that on right by a wreath; flag on the eagle.
in ex R S   
RIC VI Rome 348
Victor Clark

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Offline clueless

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Re: Roman coins overstruck by Spain
« Reply #1 on: September 30, 2022, 04:13:59 pm »
Cool !

Clueless

Offline Virgil H

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Re: Roman coins overstruck by Spain
« Reply #2 on: September 30, 2022, 09:32:53 pm »
Blows me away that a coin would be overstruck 1,000 years later. Amazing.

Virgil

Online Victor C

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Re: Roman coins overstruck by Spain
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2022, 01:03:36 am »
Yes, these are some of my most cherished.  ;D
Victor Clark

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Offline Meepzorp

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Re: Roman coins overstruck by Spain
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2022, 05:26:11 am »
Hi VC,

Nice coins! :)

And an interesting historical context also.

Meepzorp

Offline Meepzorp

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Re: Roman coins overstruck by Spain
« Reply #5 on: October 01, 2022, 05:36:28 am »
Blows me away that a coin would be overstruck 1,000 years later. Amazing.

Virgil

Hi VH,

I once came across a silver denarius of Augustus (the common type with Gaius and Lucius on the reverse) that had been countermarked with a lily. The dealer claimed that it was applied in Royal France. I almost purchased it. Obviously, if that claim was true, that countermark was applied well over 1,000 years later.

The dealer even speculated that that specimen was once owned by a member of the French Royal Family.

That specimen was one of the nicest examples of that type that I have ever seen. It was in choice XF condition. It was absolutely beautiful. Thus, it makes sense that a member of the French Royal Family would have owned it.

Meepzorp

Offline Lech Stępniewski

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Re: Roman coins overstruck by Spain
« Reply #6 on: October 01, 2022, 06:15:31 am »
Very interesting. Has anyone already written about these Roman coins countermarked as maravedis?
Lech Stępniewski
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Online Victor C

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Re: Roman coins overstruck by Spain
« Reply #7 on: October 01, 2022, 01:31:37 pm »
I don't know how much has been written about Roman coins countermarked by Spain; but here is a bronze coin of Domitian (81-96AD) that was countermarked in 1636 during the monetary reform of Philip IV. From the book by Blanchet, Sur la chronologie Atablie par les contremarques (1907).

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Offline SC

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    • A Handbook of Late Roman Bronze Coin Types 324-395.
Re: Roman coins overstruck by Spain
« Reply #8 on: October 04, 2022, 05:03:59 pm »
Very nice. 

Several French authors have written about Roman coins used in 18th-19th century France - generally sestertii, dupondii and asses - but I have never seen images of them. 

SC
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Online Victor C

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Re: Roman coins overstruck by Spain
« Reply #9 on: October 04, 2022, 06:23:28 pm »

Coins struck under Constantine the Great were still in circulation in remote places of southern France during Napoleon III. (1852-1870).

Friedensburg, Die Munze in der Kulturgeschichte, pg. 3
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Offline Carausius

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Re: Roman coins overstruck by Spain
« Reply #10 on: October 18, 2022, 08:24:05 pm »
Quote from: Meepzorp on October 01, 2022, 05:36:28 am
I once came across a silver denarius of Augustus (the common type with Gaius and Lucius on the reverse) that had been countermarked with a lily. The dealer claimed that it was applied in Royal France. I almost purchased it. Obviously, if that claim was true, that countermark was applied well over 1,000 years later.

The dealer even speculated that that specimen was once owned by a member of the French Royal Family.


What Meep is referring to above would be a collector mark, not a countermark.  A countermark is a governmental mark to identify a coin as legal tender.  A collector mark is private mark of ownership, akin to branding. My coin below has on obverse a fleur-de-lis mark and an India ink "2" which is certainly a collection number of some kind.  These are collector marks, not government countermarks.  But indeed, applied well over a thousand years after circulation of the coin.  I wish I knew who applied them.  If anyone has any clues, please share!




 

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