Lot 3122
The Jewish War, 66-70 CE. AR Half Shekel (7.06 g) dated Year 3 (68-69 CE). Temple vessel (omer cup?) with rim decorated with nine pearls (some are quite small); above, date and surrounding Palaeo-Hebrew inscription "Half a Shekel". Reverse: Stem with three budding pomegranates; around, Palaeo-Hebrew inscription "Jerusalem the Holy". TJC 203; H-1362. Excellent metal. Extremely Fine.
"Excellent metal" indirectly refers to the circumstances under which the coin rested for its two-thousand-year "sleep". Was the coin in a container with companion pieces? Did it touch other metal; at what depth was it buried? If a single-coin find, was the soil damp or dry? Acidic or alkaline? All these parameters, and more, affect how closely the molecules of metal are spaced, and the degree of porosity or crystallization.
Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,500.
Harold Chopp Collection.
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| Realized $11,213 |
