Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 98

The Pre-Long Beach Auction June 4-7, 2017

Ancient Judaean - The Jewish War

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 1515		Judaea, The Jewish War. Silver Shekel (13.88 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. Virtually as struck. Superb. Nearly Mint State. Estimate Value $10,000 - UP The Brody Family Collection; Purchased privately, January 1988. 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 $10,575
Lot 1516		Judaea, The Jewish War. Silver 1/2 Shekel (6.66 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, year 1 (66/7 CE). 'Half of a shekel' (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 1355; TJC 188. Some porosity. Toned. About Very Fine. Estimate Value $4,000 - 5,000 The Brody Family Collection; Ex Superior (28 January 1985). The dramatic first year (May 66-March 67 CE) of the Jewish War against Rome gave some hope that the Jewish rebels might actually win their independence. Late in 66 CE they defeated the XII Legion commanded by the Roman procurator Cestius Gallus. Some of the silver coinage struck in this year may perhaps have been produced from the booty carried off by the victorious Jews in this confrontation. Unfortunately, this Roman defeat led to Vespasian's transfer to the theater of conflict and the eventual quashing of the revolt in the Galilee. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $12,338
Lot 1517		Judaea, The Jewish War. Silver Shekel (13.99 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. Delicate golden toning with underlying luster adds to its appeal. Superb Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $7,000 - 8,000 The Brody Family Collection; Purchased privately from R. Brown, January 1982. The second year of the Jewish War against Rome (April 67-March 68 CE) saw the Zealot-led rebellion in the Galilee crushed by the forces of Vespasian, soon to become the imperial successor of Nero. During this campaign, the future historian Josephus was famously placed in command of the fortress at Gamla. When it was clear that all was lost, the leadership agreed not to surrender to the Romans, choosing instead to die by killing one other by lot. When all were dead but Josephus and one other man, they both fearing death, surrendered to the Romans. Thanks to this, Josephus lived on for many years, writing his account of the war responsible for coins like this shekel. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $7,050
Lot 1518		Judaea, The Jewish War. Silver 1/2 Shekel (6.61 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. Boldly struck and well centered. Tiny chip on obverse edge at 7 o'clock revealing a minor area of crystallization. Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $4,000 - 5,000 The Brody Family Collection; Purchased privately from Superior, February 1985. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $22,913
Lot 1519		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Prutah (2.28 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. Coppery-brown patina. Choice Very Fine. Estimate Value $200 - 250 From the Dr. Patrick Tan Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $115
Lot 1520		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Prutah (2.61 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. Sandy dark brown patina. Common but uncommonly choice. Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $200 - 250 From the Dr. Patrick Tan Collection. 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 $176
Lot 1521		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Prutah (2.68 g), 66-70 CE. Brockage strike. Jerusalem, year 2 (67/8 CE). 'Year two' (Paleo-Hebrew), amphora with broad rim and two handles. Reverse: Incuse of obverse. TJC 196; Hendin 1360. The first of these we have seen. Earthen brown patina. Very Fine. Estimate Value $100 - 130 The Brody Family Collection; Purchased privately from H. Kriendler, November 1997. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $59
Lot 1522		Judaea, The Jewish War. PB Prutah (2.59 g), 66-70 CE. Irregular issue. Jerusalem, year 2 (67/8 CE). Amphora with broad rim. Reverse: Vine leaf on small branch with tendril. Cf. Hendin 1360b; cf. TJC 196. Unrecorded in lead, and lacking legends. Gray-green patina with orange-earthen deposits. Very Fine. Estimate Value $300 - 400 From the Dr. Patrick Tan Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1523		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Prutah (1.87 g), 66-70 CE. Irregular issue. Jerusalem, year 2 (67/8 CE). 'Year two' (Paleo-Hebrew; retrograde), amphora with broad rim and two handles. Reverse: 'The freedom of Zion' (Paleo-Hebrew; retrograde), vine leaf on small branch with tendril. Hendin 1360c; TJC 198; Hendin 1360b. Brown patina. Choice Very Fine. Estimate Value $250 - 300 From the Dr. Patrick Tan Collection. Like many of the prutot struck for Judaea under the Roman administration and the Herodian and Hasmonean dynasties, the prutot of the Jewish War were struck on a large scale. Even so, due to shortages of small money, irregular issues, such as this coin, were manufactured. The irregular issues were, quite simply, irregular in their manufacture, their design, their legends, and their metallurgy. Irregular coins during the Jewish War were likely made at multiple locations. One thing we definitely know about these irregular coins is that archaeological evidence proves that they were used side-by-side and apparently without discrimination between the regular issues. In this respect they may be considered similar to the Hard Times tokens of the United States or the Condor tokens of England. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $141
Lot 1524		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Prutah (2.43 g), 66-70 CE. Irregular issue. 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 1360b; TJC 198; Hendin 1360b. Green patina. Choice Very Fine. Estimate Value $150 - 200 From the Dr. Patrick Tan Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $112
Lot 1525		Judaea, The Jewish War. Silver Shekel (14.27 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. Delicately toned. Superb Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $7,000 - 8,000 The Brody Family Collection; Purchased privately from R. Brown, January 1983. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $8,813
Lot 1526		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Prutah (2.81 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. Green patina. About Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $200 - 250 View details and enlarged photos	Realized $153
Lot 1527		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Half (14.67 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, year 4 (69/70 CE). 'Year four, half' (Paleo-Hebrew), two lulav branches flanking ethrog (citron). Reverse: 'To the redemption of Zion' (Paleo-Hebrew), palm tree with two bunches of dates, flanked by baskets with dates. Hendin 1367; TJC 211. Very Rare. Brown patina. Very Fine. Estimate Value $4,000 - 6,000 The Brody Family Collection; Purchased privately, January 1987. The introduction of large bronze denominations in the final year (April 69-March 70 CE) of the Jewish War illustrates the desperate state of the Jewish rebels as they struggled to defend Jerusalem against the Roman forces led by Titus and against the violent rifts in the rebel leadership. Silver denominations from this disastrous year are very rare, suggesting that silver had become more difficult to obtain in the Holy City. Josephus even provides us with the scene of inhabitants so desperate that they took to swallowing their silver and gold. These large bronzes must have filled in the gaps in the rebel currency system as the horrific end of the war loomed closer; indeed, they carry legends identifying them as a "half," presumably indicating a fiduciary token standing in for a proper silver half shekel. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $11,750
Lot 1528		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Quarter (8.61 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, year 4 (69/70 CE). 'Year four, quarter' (Paleo-Hebrew), two lulav branches. Reverse: 'To the redemption of Zion' (Paleo-Hebrew), etrog. Hendin 1368; TJC 213. A splendid example. Natural green and brown patina. Choice Very Fine. Estimate Value $2,500 - 3,000 The Brody Family Collection; Ex Dr. Feori Pipito Collection (Superior, 12-14 December 1987). The lulav branches and etrog types depicted on the token bronze quarter shekels of the fourth year (April 69-March 70 CE) of the Jewish War refer to Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, which was both a harvest celebration and a commemoration of the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. This typology may appear at this time because the rebels had reached the point of no return and had no hope of surviving the coming Roman onslaught without divine aid. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $2,350
Lot 1529		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Eighth (6.01 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. Brown patina. Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $700 - 800 From the Dr. Patrick Tan Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $940
Lot 1530		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Eighth (4.58 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. Nice and sharp. Brown patina. About Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $500 - 600 The Brody Family Collection; Purchased privately from D. Hendin, January 1988. 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 $676
Lot 1531		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Eighth (5.16 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. Earthen-brown patina. Choice Very Fine. Estimate Value $500 - 600 From the Dr. Patrick Tan Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $294
Lot 1532		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Eighth (4.03 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. Small planchet. Nice green patina. Choice Very Fine. Estimate Value $400 - 500 From the Dr. Patrick Tan Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1533		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Eighth (5.13 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. Dark green and brown patina. Very Fine. Estimate Value $300 - 400 The Brody Family Collection; Purchased privately from D. Hendin, January 1982. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $176
Lot 1534		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Eighth (5.13 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. Natural uncean green patina. Very Fine. Estimate Value $300 - 400 The Brody Family Collection; Purchased privately from D. Hendin, August 1984. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $376
Lot 1535		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Eighth (5.69 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 1369a; TJC 214c. Rare. Earthen green patina. Very Fine / Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $500 - 600 The Brody Family Collection; Purchased from E. Waddell online sale, March 2001. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $294
Lot 1536		Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Eighth (5.05 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 1369b; TJC 214d. Crude style with retrograde inscription. Nice earthen-green patina. Choice Very Fine. Estimate Value $500 - 600 The Brody Family Collection; Purchased privately, December 1998. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,058