Why Did the Ancient Peoples Damage Coins on Purpose?

Comments · 102

• DA

  @DanielLopez-up6os · 1 year ago

  The Legion countermarked coins are probably used as a Form of scrip, you Technically got paid, but if you escaped the camp before your 10 years contract ended the money would be useless.

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• JE

  @jerjerwalker6001 · 1 year ago

  I personally love collecting the more worn/damaged coins. The cracks, holes, and slashes give the coins their own unique history, one that is fascinating to wonder about.

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• BR

  @bratrcunik4571 · 1 year ago

  I don't mind test cuts on coins, and countermarks and banker's marks add interest to the coins in my eyes. I have an Athenian tetradrachm where the owl on the reverse has its head split in half by test cut. And a two-denarius of the Bosporan king Sauromates II with a countermark probably in the form of the head of Emperor Septimius Severus. I really need that coin from Stratonikeia with Geta erased.

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• SH

  @shugot · 1 year ago

  The Chinese commonly countermarked silver coins that arrived in more modern times. There is a large amount of 19th and 20th century coinage with Chinese symbol countermarks on them, sometimes a very large number. The Japanese specifically added countermarks to their 1 Yen silver coins to prevent them from being used as currency inside Japan, being meant for foreign trade only. For Indian coins, especially Rupees, it is common to see what look like small crater holes punched into the face of the coin, used to check for silver content. A few of my Mughal empire coins have these. 16th to 18th century Rupees were often in Arabic script and I noticed they avoid punching the hole on the name of any leader written on the coin, or it could just be coincidence. Interesting none the less.

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• SE

  @SeeJayCampbell · 1 year ago

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZebFNQ8_AM&amp;t=615">10:15</a> I think if you hit the edges of an Athenian Tetradrachm with a chisel you would likely break the edge off - maybe that’s why the cuts are mostly in the centre?

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• TH

  @TheGreatDrAsian · 1 year ago

  The test cut on Athena makes her look like a Canadian from South Park :face-blue-smiling:

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• XX

  @Xxxxxxxxxx3582 · 1 year ago

  In India during the mogol period silver coins were struck by common people and lemon juice was poured to check whether they were made of silver or counterfeit. &nbsp;That is the reason silver coins without those strucks are hard to find.

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• TI

  @Tiridates_the_Great · 1 year ago

  It&apos;s always a good day when Classical Numismatics posts

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• DO

  @donklaser217 · 1 year ago

  Test cuts &amp; countermarks have such an interesting story to tell. My follis of the Empress Irene has her face scratched out!

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• GO

  @Goldcrusader1 · 1 year ago

  My only tetradrachm in my collection has been intentionally pierced with a sharp object; it is in an NGC slab and looks beautiful.

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• DI

  @dimuk2452 · 1 year ago

  I &nbsp;have several of those large counterstamped damnatio coins and they are so cool!

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• CA

  @caracallaavg · 1 year ago

  Love these &quot;defects&quot; because they add up the coins story. You can still see plenty of tiny countermaks on older &nbsp;$100 bills outside of the US

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