Refining the Chronology of NCAPR

CNG 111, Lot: 486. Estimate $300. Sold for $475. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

MOESIA & THRACE. Æ Sestertius (38mm, 26.31 g). Countermarks applied during the reigns of Nero to Vespasian, circa AD 54-79(?), and Galba, April–June AD 68. NCAPR (Nummus Caesare Augusto PRobatus?) and GALBA in rectangular countermarks on a sestertius of Agrippina Senior. For NCAPR: Pangerl 60 (applied in Italy). For GALBA: Pangerl 86; Martini 1.4006-11, 2.1429-33. Host Fine, c/m’s VF, green patina. A rare and important combination of countermarks.

From the Richard Baker Collection, purchased from Hermes Coins.

This important coin provides further refinement to the chronology of the NCAPR countermark. Previously believed to be applied during the reign of Nero, an example in the Pangerl collection appears on an as of Vespasian, necessitating a later date for the series. The present example, however, bears a GALBA countermark that was clearly stamped at a later date. This indicates that the NCAPR countermark was applied continuously from before the Civil War into the reign of Vespasian.