Ira and Larry Goldberg Auctioneers
Auction 133 31 Jan - 1 Feb 2023
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The First Jewish Coin Marking The Birth of the Judaean Nation - 72-piece Hoard. Struck by Antiochus VII (Sidetes) 131/1 BC, Mint of Jerusalem. AE Prutah (average weight 2.47 g). "of King Antiochus, benefactor". Reverse: Lily. Hendin 6165. Carefully hand selected over a 50 year period with coins grading mostly Very Fine and better.
According to Hendin, the lily (Hebrew "Shoshana") was considered a standout among flowers. Its fragil beauty, combined with the fact that it bloomed rapidly, thus linking it to fertility, enhanced its position. Hendin notes there are three forms of flowers on the Hasmonean coins with this being the earliest prutah with the name of Antiochos - thus a transitional issue from Seleucid rule to Hasmonean control. Estimated Value $2,500 - UP
The history of this period is told in 1 Maccabees and II Maccabees which is found in the Apocrypha: "Antiochus son of King Demetrius sent a letter from overseas to Simon (Maccabee) the high Priest and ethnarch of the Jews, and to the whole nation. (I Maccabees 15:1) "I give thee also to coin money for they country with thine own stamp and as concerning Jerusalem and the sancturary, let them be free" (I Maccabees 15:6).
Ex The David Karpeles Collection.
According to Hendin, the lily (Hebrew "Shoshana") was considered a standout among flowers. Its fragil beauty, combined with the fact that it bloomed rapidly, thus linking it to fertility, enhanced its position. Hendin notes there are three forms of flowers on the Hasmonean coins with this being the earliest prutah with the name of Antiochos - thus a transitional issue from Seleucid rule to Hasmonean control. Estimated Value $2,500 - UP
The history of this period is told in 1 Maccabees and II Maccabees which is found in the Apocrypha: "Antiochus son of King Demetrius sent a letter from overseas to Simon (Maccabee) the high Priest and ethnarch of the Jews, and to the whole nation. (I Maccabees 15:1) "I give thee also to coin money for they country with thine own stamp and as concerning Jerusalem and the sancturary, let them be free" (I Maccabees 15:6).
Ex The David Karpeles Collection.