Gemini III, January 9th, 2007



                  Lot # 248 - Auction is closed.Estimate: US$60000 / Price 
                  Realized: US$45000 
                  JUDAEA. Jewish War. Silver shekel 



             



            JUDAEA. Jewish War. (66-70 CE). Silver shekel (13.96 gm). Judaea, 
            Year 5 (4 March–August 70 CE). Hebrew inscription Shekel of Israel, 
            omer cup with pearled rim, date above / Hebrew inscription Jerusalem 
            the holy, stem with three pomegranates. Kreindler, “The application 
            of SEM for authentication of an important find of Year Five shekels 
            of the Jewish War,” pl. 9, 10 (this coin). TJC 215a (an example from 
            these dies now in the Israel Museum). BMC Palestine 20 (same dies). 
            Hendin 671a. In the NFA sale this coin realized for $65,000 not 
            including buyer’s fee. One of the great rarities of Judean coinage. 
            Extremely fine. 

            Ex NFA XXVI, 14 August 1991, lot 148. 

            In 66 CE, after decades of misrule and misunderstanding, the Jews of 
            Judaea rose against their Roman masters. Although the revolt of tiny 
            and poor Judaea against the might of Rome was doomed to fail from 
            its beginning, the Jews proved tough fighters and the Romans 
            suffered many losses until, aided by dissents and conflict within 
            the Jewish ranks, they crushed the revolt. During the revolt, the 
            Jews issued coins of purely Jewish types, expressions of their 
            desire for political and cultural independence. The most important 
            of these is a classic rarity, the First Jewish Revolt shekel of year 
            five. These coins were only discovered relatively recently, and it 
            is surprising that they actually exist. By the beginning of the 
            fifth year, the revolt was in serious trouble. Overwhelming Roman 
            forces were closing in on all sides. Most of the countryside had 
            already been reconquered, Jerusalem itself was under siege, and 
            otherwise only a few remote outposts, such as Masada, still stood 
            against the foreign armies. Within four months, any mintage of 
            shekels would cease, when Jerusalem, burnt and destroyed, fell to 
            the foe. On the obverse we see a chalice, the Temple vessel for the 
            offering of the first grain harvest, surrounded by inscription, in 
            archaic Hebrew script, “Shekel of Israel.” Above the chalice are 
            Hebrew letters indicating “Year 5.” On the reverse is a branch 
            bearing three pomegranates, a traditional Jewish decoration, and 
            around, again in archaic Hebrew script, “Holy Jerusalem.” The 
            coinage is eloquent testimony to the desire of a people to preserve 
            and retain Its religion and culture, even in the face of 
            overwhelming force, a force that would destroy the Temple and end 
            the first revolt against the Romans within a few months of the 
            striking of this coin. The desire and the dream, however, survived 
            even this disaster. Shekels were minted in all five years of the 
            revolt with year 1 being scarce, years 2 and 3 the most common, year 
            4 very rare and year 5 the rarest. Only about 25 of the year 5 
            shekels are recorded, as well as one half shekel. HJB. 




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  ... Lot 248 sold for high bid of $45000 [ $51750, or approx 40002.75 EUR, 26392.5 GBP including the 15% buyers fee.] 


Re-used by permission of Harlan J Berk (www.harlanjberk.com) and
                         Freeman & Sear (www.freemanandsear.com)