New Republicans

Here on of mine with a few counter- or banker's marks on it.




"Q.Lutatis Cerco" (109/8 BC)

Obverse: Head of young Mars right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet, star behind ROMA above
Reverse: Q'LVATI // Q above galley right, all in oak-wreath

What I like about this coin is that it's reverse is similar to the bronze coinage of the time.

Very nice Chris, I particularly like the Mn Cordius Rufus with the jugate busts. I'm slowly expanding my republican collection, very slowly.

Aww man I love the jugate busts. You can never go wrong with a good RR. These pretty nice pieces. I see you expanding into silver more, kudos.

Anyone observing Roman Republican denarii sees counter marks, banker's marks and test cuts. I have read that they do not commonly occur during all periods. Most commonly they are on denarii produced during periods when there was widespread production of fourées. There are two main types. The first is a much more dramatic and deforming test cut, like one also sees on Athenian owls. The second appear as scratches or crescents and such like on one side of the coin.I would love to ask a metallurgist about what could be the method of producing these marks, because to me it looks as though the tool that was used to make the mark may have been red hot. They often produce imprints with raised lips at the edges as though the metal melted slightly during the cut. I wonder whether the latter method was deemed a less damaging way of performing the test, creating a less bold mark on one side of the coin only. The heat might have enabled a decent cut without the greater pressure that occurs when placing the coin in a pincer. However they were created, they were probably done both by official authorities attempting to cleanse the coinage as a whole of fakes and market traders and bankers wishing to verify that their coins are genuine. I am completely speculating here and make no claim at all to any authority, it would be great if some greater authority could educate us, but amongst publications it is surprisingly difficult to find any decent consideration of the whys and hows of the test cutting that went on, other than to catalogue and observe them. So the field is open for all of us to wonder...

thanks everyone...and thanks for the test cut info as well!

That is very interesting AN. I was trying to work out whether the mark on the obverse aligns with the mark on the reverse by estimating the DA. It's a bit difficult to judge from the pics alone, but I am guessing it is about 40°. Is this right? So maybe the two marks arent quite opposite each other, so maybe weren't created simultaneously. On the reverse mark, the pit, do you see what I mean about the unexpected lip around its edge? that is to what makes me think that it might have been created by a heated tool that was hot enough to melt silver. My theory may be completely misguided, but I would be interested to hear what you think. It is hard to say whether the mark on the obverse, the cut, is a test cut or a bankers mark akin to a counter stamp. Perhaps it served both purposes...

You guys are making me feel cheap. Here I am with a ancient coin collection of mostly common late Roman and Byzantine copper and bronze coins. Nice coins by the way! 😃