ANCIENT JEWISH COINS, BAR KOKHBA, Judaea, Bar Kokhba Revolt. Silver Zuz (3.10 g), 132-135 CE. Year 2 (133/4 CE). 'Simon', bunch of grapes with leaf and tendril. Rev. 'Year two of the freedom of Israel' (Paleo-Hebrew), wide lyre with three strings and four dots on sound box. (Mildenberg 43 (O8/R25); TJC 240; Hendin 1393). Toned. Superb extremely fine.
ex NFA XXV (29 November 1990), lot 270.
This zuz of the second year (133/4 CE) of the Bar Kochba War, the coin (Mildenberg selected to illustrate his dies, features a grape bunch obverse type derived from the similar reverse type used already for zuzim in the first year (132/3 CE). The palm branch reverse, however, is an innovation for silver coins in the second year of the war. In the first year this type only appeared on the obverse of the middle bronze denomination.
Estimate: $ 4,000