Ancient & Modern "Bottle Cap Coins"

[Al Kowsky]

I've always been fascinated with bottle cap coins, & wasn't aware how inexpensive they were until recently. Does anyone know why these coins were made & what their significance is 🤔? In a Heritage auction on 12-11-2024, this group of Seleucid bronze coins with 3 bottle caps sold for $192. 

In another Heritage auction one week earlier, this bizarre fantasy coin struck for the island of Fiji sold for $169 🙄.  Has anyone seen other modern bottle cap coins 🧐?

[Ryro]

Fun coins! Coingrats on your heritage wins! Everything is more expensive from Heritage. 

What a coin-cidence!? I was going to put together a bottle cap post about my two latest wins.

To answer your question; My understanding is they were made like this to make it hard for forgers.

Antiochos VI Dionysos (Seleukid King: 144-142 BC). AE bronze. Obv.: radiate and wreathed head r. Rev.: elephant standing l., holding torch with trunk; to r., ΣTA above palm frond.

23mm 6.79g

Seleukos II Kalinikos (Seleukid King: 246 - 226 BC) AE bronze. Obv: Laureate head of Apollo right, with wavy locks Rev: Tyhe holding cornucopia

18mm 5.59g

Edited December 22, 2024 by Ryro

[Ryro]

Ps, the Romans also made serrated edged coins, again, in all likelihood to detour forgers:

[Al Kowsky]

47 minutes ago, Ryro said:

Fun coins! Coingrats on your heritage wins! Everything is more expensive from Heritage. 

What a coin-cidence!? I was going to put together a bottle cap post about my two latest wins.

To answer your question; My understanding is they were made like this to make it hard for forgers.

Antiochos VI Dionysos (Seleukid King: 144-142 BC). AE bronze. Obv.: radiate and wreathed head r. Rev.: elephant standing l., holding torch with trunk; to r., ΣTA above palm frond.

23mm 6.79g

Seleukos II Kalinikos (Seleukid King: 246 - 226 BC) AE bronze. Obv: Laureate head of Apollo right, with wavy locks Rev: Tyhe holding cornucopia

18mm 5.59g

Your bottle cap coins are handsome, thanks for posting ☺️. BTW I didn't bid on the coins I posted 😉.

Edited December 22, 2024 by Al Kowsky
spelling correction

[Phil Anthos]

I always thought it was to discourage clipping.

Seleukid Kingdom, Reign of Antiochos VI (Dionysus)

145-142 BC AE17 Serrate (17.5mm, 4.29g) O: Diademed and radiate head right. R: Panther advancing left with paw raised, holding palm branch in mouth; BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY and ΣTA above, star behind, EΠIΦANOYΣ ∆IONYΣOY in exergue. SNG Spaer 1784; Houghton 241v (cornucopiae); Sear 7083 ex Forvm Auctions (FortunA)

[Al Kowsky]

34 minutes ago, Ryro said:

Ps, the Romans also made serrated edged coins, again, in all likelihood to detour forgers:

I've read that the serrate denarii were made that way to show they weren't plated 😉.

[Al Kowsky]

3 minutes ago, Phil Anthos said:

I always thought it was to discourage clipping.

Seleukid Kingdom, Reign of Antiochos VI (Dionysus)

145-142 BC AE17 Serrate (17.5mm, 4.29g) O: Diademed and radiate head right. R: Panther advancing left with paw raised, holding palm branch in mouth; BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY and ΣTA above, star behind, EΠIΦANOYΣ ∆IONYΣOY in exergue. SNG Spaer 1784; Houghton 241v (cornucopiae); Sear 7083 ex Forvm Auctions (FortunA)

I like the panther reverse on that coin ☺️, thanks for posting. Was bronze so precious at that time that people were clipping small bronze coins 🤔?

[Phil Anthos]

Probably not. But similarly wouldn't the plating process fill the serrations as well?

I do love a mystery.  🙂

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Or perhaps it was done to make the AE's more distinctive?  Perhaps they were getting mixed in with other AE's from the region.

[Sulla80]

Here's an interesting theory:

https://coinweek.com/how-were-roman-serrate-coins-made-and-why/

"Since the first Seleucid serrated coins, also known colloquially as “bottle cap” coins, were cast by Seleucus IV in his capital Antioch as part of currency reform, it is probable that the serrated edge was employed to differentiate these coins from other varieties produced in other Seleucid cities. Later Seleucid serrati were most likely cast as tools of dynastic continuity and royal legitimacy. This theory, put forth by Princeton University Research Assistant Ilia Curto Pelle, is quite interesting and is based on an analysis of which rulers produced serrated coins and what branch of Seleucus IV’s family they belonged to.'"

https://mediacentral.princeton.edu/media/A+New+Approach+to+Seleucid+serrated+coinsA+Questions+of+Reform+and+Dynastic+Continuity/1_w4mxkl3o/162295561

Edited December 23, 2024 by Sulla80

[DonnaML]

My 14 Roman Republican serrate denarii, in no particular order:

 

 

 

 

 

[Bannerknight]

29 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

My 14 Roman Republican serrate denarii, in no particular order:

 

 

 

 

 

Those are fantastic coins, @DonnaML !!! Will you write them up? It seems each of them deserves a story.

[DonnaML]

2 hours ago, Bannerknight said:

Those are fantastic coins, @DonnaML !!! Will you write them up? It seems each of them deserves a story.

Thanks. I've already written all of them up and posted all of the writeups here. If you want to find them all, search for posts of mine using the term "serrate denarius."

[Alegandron]

SELEUKID EMPIRE

Seleukid Empire
Demetrios I Soter 162-150 BCE
AE 17 serrate 16.8mm 3.9g
Antioch on Orontes mint
Horse Hd L -
Elephant Hd R-
SC 1646 SNG Spaer 1299-1304

[Alegandron]

CARTHAGE - hard to find Serrated

This is an odd issue from Carthage, as they did not produce serrated coins until their demise. This one is kinda hard to obtain.


Carthage Third Punic War Serrate Double Shekel 149-146 BCE 12.8g 26mm Wreathd Tanit-Horse pellet in crescent raised leg SNG COP 404

Edited December 24, 2024 by Alegandron

[Alegandron]

ROMAN EMPIRE under the REPUBLIC


Roman Republic
C POBLICIUS Q f 80 BCE
AR Denarius serratus 3.94g Rome mint
Flan wgt control gouge reverse (Stannard Scoop)
Hercules strnglng 
Nemean lion club quiver
Craw 380-1 Syd 768



Roman Republic
R L Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus Asiagenus
AR Serrate Denarius 4.0g 19mm
Rome mint 106 BCE
Hd Jupiter Left -
Jupiter quad r scepter tbolt L•SCIP•ASIAG B
Craw 311-1e Syd 576



Roman Republic
L Papius serratus
79 BCE
Juno Sospita goat skin
JUG Griffon
Sear 311 Craw 384-1



Roman Republic
C Mamilius
82 BCE
AR Den Serrate
Mercury caduceus
Ulysses Dog-Argos
Sear 282 Craw 362-1




Roman Republic
L Licinius Crassus orator Cn Domitius Ahenobarbus
118 BCE
NARBO Serrated Roma Attic Helmet
Gallic Biga
Sear 158 Craw 282-3

[Robi]

Merry Christmas with bottle cap Seleucid coins 🎄🙂

[Al Kowsky]

1 hour ago, Robi said:

Merry Christmas with bottle cap Seleucid coins 🎄🙂

Robi, That's an impressive group of bottle caps 😮, thanks for sharing 😍.

[Al Kowsky]

On 12/23/2024 at 3:08 PM, DonnaML said:

My 14 Roman Republican serrate denarii, in no particular order:

 

 

 

 

 

Wonderful group of serrate denarii 🤩!