Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 106

The September 3-5, 2018 Pre-Long Beach Auction

The Jewish War

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 1187		Judaea, The Jewish War. Silver Shekel (14.05 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, year 1 (66/7 CE). 'Shekel of Israel' (Paleo-Hebrew), ritual chalice with wide, smooth rim, pellet on either side, and flat base with pearled ends; above, '[year] 1'. Reverse: 'Jerusalem [the] holy' (Paleo-Hebrew), staff with three pomegranate buds, round base. Hendin 1354; TJC 187; Deutsch 25. Slight area of weakness on lower portion of obverse and the corresponding area of the reverse. Lightly toned. Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $8,000 - UP The Palm Desert Collection Purchase from Superior 1970s. The silver shekel of the first year (May 66-March 67 CE) of the Jewish War against Rome is perhaps one of the most iconic coins in the ancient Jewish coin series. The chalice on the obverse is widely believed to represent the omer cup used in the Jerusalem Temple while the reverse may represent a staff with three pomegranates. The pomegranate was a traditional symbol of Jewish priestly authority. It has been argued recently, however, that earlier scholars may have been right to understand this type not as an allegorical emblem of the priesthood but as a representation of the budding almond staff of Aaron that was kept in the Ark of the Covenant. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $8,100
Lot 1188		Judaea, The Jewish War. Silver Shekel (14.22 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, Year 2 (67/8 CE). 'Shekel of Israel' (Paleo-Hebrew), ritual chalice with pearled rim, the base raised by projections on both ends; above, 'year 2'. Reverse: 'Jerusalem the holy' (Paleo-Hebrew), staff with three pomegranate buds, round base. Hendin 1358; TJC 193. Beautiful bold strike and perfectly centered. Lovely original deep bluish-grey patina tone on the obverse. Superb Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $7,000 - UP Ex Biblical Numismatic Society, purchase 1980. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $9,300
Lot 1189		Judaea, The Jewish War. Silver 1/2 Shekel (6.59 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, year 2 (67/8 CE). 'Half of a shekel' (Paleo-Hebrew), ritual chalice with pearled rim, the base raised by projections on both ends; above, 'year 2'. Reverse: 'Jerusalem the holy' (Paleo-Hebrew), staff with three pomegranate buds, round base. Hendin 1359; TJC 195. A bit off-center. Lightly toned. Choice Very Fine. Estimate Value $7,500 - UP The Palm Desert Collection Purchase from Superior 1980s. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $10,200
Lot 1190		Judaea, The Jewish War. Silver 1/2 Shekel (6.72 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, year 2 (67/8 CE). 'Half of a shekel' (Paleo-Hebrew), ritual chalice with pearled rim, the base raised by projections on both ends; above, 'year 2'. Reverse: 'Jerusalem the holy' (Paleo-Hebrew), staff with three pomegranate buds, round base. Hendin 1359; TJC 195. Excellent surfaces. Choice Very Fine. Estimate Value $7,500 - UP The Palm Desert Collection Purchase from Superior 1980s. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $15,000
Lot 1191		Judaea, The Jewish War. Silver 1/2 Shekel (6.88 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, Year 2 (67/8 CE). 'Half of a shekel' (Paleo-Hebrew), ritual chalice with pearled rim, the base raised by projections on both ends; above, 'year 2'. Reverse: 'Jerusalem the holy' (Paleo-Hebrew), staff with three pomegranate buds, round base. Hendin 1359; TJC 195. Well struck. Just a trifle off-center on the obverse while perfectly centered on the reverse with complete legends on both sides. Choice Very Fine. Estimate Value $7,500 - UP Ex Biblical Numismatic Society, purchase 1980. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $14,400
Lot 1192		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Prutah (2.88 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, year 2 (67/8 CE). 'Year two' (Paleo-Hebrew), amphora with broad rim and two handles. Reverse: 'The freedom of Zion' (Paleo-Hebrew), vine leaf on small branch with tendril. Hendin 1360; TJC 196. Brown and green patina. Very Fine. Estimate Value $200 - 250 Ex Biblical Numismatic Society, purchase 1980. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $120
Lot 1193		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Prutah (2.78 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, year 2 (67/8 CE). 'Year two' (Paleo-Hebrew), amphora with broad rim and two handles. Reverse: 'The freedom of Zion' (Paleo-Hebrew), vine leaf on small branch with tendril. Hendin 1360; TJC 196. Choice Very Fine. Estimate Value $250 - 300 The Palm Desert Collection Purchase, from Kreindler 1980s. Although struck by the Jewish rebels against Rome, the the prutot of the Jewish War take much of their typological inspiration from the earlier coinages struck for Judaea by the Roman praetorial government. The amphora and vine leaf types come very close to those used for an issue of Valerius Gratus in 17/8 CE. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $156
Lot 1194		Judaea, The Jewish War. Silver Shekel (14.22 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, year 3 (68/9 CE). 'Shekel of Israel' (Paleo-Hebrew), ritual chalice with pearled rim, the base raised by projections on both ends; above, 'year 3'. Reverse: 'Jerusalem the holy' (Paleo-Hebrew), staff with three pomegranate buds, round base. Hendin 1361; TJC 202. Nicely toned. Superb Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $7,000 - UP The Palm Desert Collection Ex Superior (7 June 1984), 1508. The third year of the Jewish War saw some slight respite from the Roman advance as the death of Nero plunged the Roman Empire into a civil war into which Vespasian was drawn. However, violence in Jerusalem reached new heights as the Zealot leaders of the crushed northern revolt waged their own civil war against Ananus ben Ananus, the leader of the more moderate priestly authorities. This factional conflict resulted in an ignominious siege of Jerusalem by the Zealots and the slaughter of Ananus and his adherents. Jerusalem the holy, as it is described on the shekels, had been defiled by the blood of its own people before ever the Romans entered the city. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $5,760
Lot 1195		Judaea, The Jewish War. Silver 1/2 Shekel (6.34 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, year 3 (68/9 CE). 'Half of a shekel' (Paleo-Hebrew), ritual chalice with pearled rim, the base raised by projections on both ends; above, 'year 3'. Reverse: 'Jerusalem the holy' (Paleo-Hebrew), staff with three pomegranate buds, round base. Hendin 1362; TJC 203. No serious problems, just some honest wear. Toned. About Very Fine. Estimate Value $5,000 - 6,000 The Palm Desert Collection Purchase from Hendin 1980s. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $9,600
Lot 1196		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Prutah (3.24 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, year 3 (68/9 CE). 'Year three' (Paleo-Hebrew), amphora with broad rim, conical lid, and two handles. Reverse: 'The freedom of Zion' (Paleo-Hebrew), vine leaf on small branch with tendril. Hendin 1363; TJC 204. Dark green patina. Choice Very Fine. Estimate Value $200 - 250 The Palm Desert Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $528
Lot 1197		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Eighth (5.10 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, year 4 (69/70 CE). 'Year four' (Paleo-Hebrew), lulav branch flanked by an etrog on either sider. Reverse: 'To the redemption of Zion' (Paleo-Hebrew), chalice with pearled rim. Hendin 1369; TJC 214. Pleasing reddish-brown patina. Very Fine. Estimate Value $350 - 400 The Palm Desert Collection Purchase from Kreindler 1980s. The bronze eighth denomination of the fourth year (April 69-March 70 CE) of the Jewish War is remarkable for its use of the pearled chalice type on the reverse when this had previously been reserved for silver shekels and fractions. It may signal that this denomination, although unmarked, was intended as a token representing a value in silver. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $540
Lot 1198		4-piece Prutah group. Includes Hendin 1144-6, 1150-1, 1244, and 1360. All carefully selected pieces for the Biblical Numismatic Society in the late 1970s. Fine to Very Fine. Estimate Value $150 - 200 Ex Biblical Numismatic Society purchase. View details	Realized $120
Lot 1199		5-piece lot of Jewish War Bronzes. Consists of (by Hendin number): 1360 (2 pieces), 1363 (2 pieces) and 1369. Coins grade Fine and better. Estimate Value $300 - 400 The Palm Desert Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $180