ANCIENT JEWISH COINS, HASMONEAN DYNASTY, Judaea, Hasmonean Kingdom. John Hyrcanus I (Yehohanan). Æ Prutah (1.49 g), 134-104 BCE. Jerusalem. 'Yehohanan the High Priest and the Council of the Jews' (Paleo-Hebrew) in four lines within wreath; above inscription, Greek letter A. Rev. Double cornucopiae adorned with ribbons, pomegranate between horns, within circular beaded border. (TJG grp. A; Hendin 1132). Well centered with an attractive sandy-brown desert patina. Extremely fine.
Purchased privately at the NYINC, December 1991.
This prutah features the distinctive types - a Paleo-Hebrew legend enclosed within a wreath on the obverse, and a double cornucopiae with poppy on the reverse - that would be associated with the Hasmonean dynasty from the time of John Hyrcanus I until the disastrous reign of Mattathias II Antigonus (40-37 BCE). It was even resurrected by Herod the Great as means of establishing his connection to the Hasmonean house and giving himself an air of legitimacy as its successor.
Estimate: $ 150