I appreciate the revival of this
thread since it occurred before I joined.  I am a novice in
numismatics and know little about astrological issues; I come to this interest via the back door of
biblical studies (especially the study of the Apocalypsis which is replete with astrological
symbols). One resource that could be helpful in understanding the astrological context of
symbols on coins is the rarely mentioned or consulted
Catalogus Codicum Astrologorum Graecorum
 (CCAG)1898-1953. Franz Cumont, an exceptional scholar, put together a team to catologue all ancient Greek astrological documents in European libraries. It is 12 volumes in 20 parts.
I would understand the seven stars as the seven planets (
Jupiter,
Mars,
Saturn,
Sol,
Venus, Mercury and
Luna). These seven are mentioned in numerous ancient authors, for example, Firmicus Maternus (around 330 C.E.),
Ancient
Astrology, Theology and Practice Matheseos Libri
Viii (1975). Also in the CCAG mentioned above is the Letter of Solomon to Roboam (first- century
Judean writing). In this letter the author notes seven planets. Interestingly each planet is associated with a specific
plant. For example here is quote from the letter about
Mars and its
plant: "The
plant of Ares (
Mars) is the pentasites. Collect it at the hour of Ares and wear its sword-shaped leaves wrapped in
wolf fur and should myriads of enemies surround you, they will not be able to hurt you, . . . Wear the root in every battle and in every battle array, and you will conquer and be saved unharmed. . . ."Â Evidently an ancient equivalent for body armor.
Perhaps the three stars that
Pat mentioned on the
Severan coins represent the moon, sun, and
Venus. These would have been considered the three most significant stars. An interesting aside is that Jesus is associated with
Venus, the "Bright and Morning
Star" (2
Peter 1:19). A male associated with
Venus (Aphrodite) may seem odd but
Ptolemy in
Tetrabiblos
1.6.20 LCL notes that "They say too that the stars become masculine or feminine according to their aspects to the sun, for when they are morning stars and precede the sun they become masculine, and feminine when they are evening stars and follow the sun."
It does seem odd to count the moon twice as
Pat noted. While it seem logical that the crescent represent the moon, could it be something beside the moon? Could it be a way to represent the heavens holding the stars/planets? I did a brief look at some examples online and the stars are not aways inside the crescent however. Looking at these examples did raise another question for me. I noticed that dealers sometime display coins having the
reverse with stars and the crescent differently. Is the crescent under the stars? Is it to the left? Is it above? How do we know? (I did not see any with the crescent to the right). The example of the Trio coin is clear about the position of the crescent in relationship to viewing, but when the
inscription surrounds the image perhaps it is not as clear which way the crescent should be viewed. Which is up and which is down?Â
David M.