Judaea - Ae Prutah Of Alexander Jannaeus

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Author	Replies: 6 / Views: 5,593
Finn235 Pillar of the Community United States 6130 Posts	Posted 11/17/2015 2:00 pm Taking a break from my "unidentified lot" spree on ebay for some time. My last lot came in the mail yesterday, all the way from Israel. Saw this one in the lot, and just had to win it: Judaea Alexander Jannaeus, 103-76 BC AE prutah Obverse: Eight-rayed star with Hebrew inscription "Yehonatan the King" Reverse: Seleucid anchor with Greek inscription "BASILEWS ALEXANDROU" The inscription is a little worn around the anchor, but overall the coin is very well preserved (considering the seller thought it unworthy of an individual listing) and unlike many of the type, struck on an oversized flan in DEEP relief. The center of the star has been rubbed to the point of being polished and reflective--quite pleasing in-hand. The lot also contained several other bronzes from Judaea, which I will post here later. Three other were Jannaeus issues of the "widow's mite" type--off center, poorly struck, and on thin planchets. Two were Prutah of Agrippa I. The other 34 were miscellaneous Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, and unidentified. I'll post any that are worthy of posting, or those that have me utterly stumped. Ending things on a high note Report this Post to the Staff

echizento Moderator United States 23731 Posts	Posted 11/17/2015 3:05 pm Nice one, I hope to be getting one of these soon. Report this Post to the Staff
DavidUK Pillar of the Community United Kingdom 2624 Posts	Posted 11/17/2015 4:12 pm Grats, you are braver than me with these "unidentified lots" though they are exciting it kills me to have the majority of the coins not be collectable standards. It must be a thrill though when you find something decent. Congrats. Report this Post to the Staff
Finn235 Pillar of the Community United States 6130 Posts	Posted 11/18/2015 11:50 am The trick with unidentified lots is patience and the self-control to learn when to stop clicking the "Increase Bid" button. I set a hard limit for myself of no more than $3 per coin OR no more than $50 for a lot, unless each coin in said lot would be less than 50 cents. I have had to stay my hand on some lots that would have been amazing additions to my collection, and of course I have over-paid for lots. For me, the thrill of collecting ancients is figuring out how to attribute coins that others have simply written off. This usually means that the coins I buy are in fairly rough shape, and very, very rarely do I find something that I could sell for more than $10. I may someday switch my focus on high grade, highly collectible coins, but for now I still have over a hundred coins left to attribute. Report this Post to the Staff
DavidUK Pillar of the Community United Kingdom 2624 Posts	Posted 11/18/2015 12:45 pm The skill of identifying the unidentifiable is a profitable one. I had a tiny silver coin that sat unidentified for over a year and eventually Bob L identified it for me (he is a legend when it comes to that) I had considered tossing the coin away since it weights about a gram and I didn't know how to catalogue it... turns out that it was an early Greek, fairly rare and since then I have seen a couple for £150 on V-coins... I have been buying some modern silver lots recently, easy to get carried away when there is something I there that I want... but the difference is that usually what is there can be seen. With the ancient stuff you take more of a chance, particularly uncleaned. Which reminds me to play the lottery this week... Report this Post to the Staff
Finn235 Pillar of the Community United States 6130 Posts	Posted 11/18/2015 4:32 pm If anyone is interested, here is the complete lot of Judaean coins from this lot: Top row from left: 1. I believe this one to be an Alexander Jannaeus lepton; anchor / star design. Very rough. 2. Alexander Jannaeus lepton; anchor / star design 3. Alexander Jannaeus prutah, from OP. 4. Alexander Jannaeus lepton or prutah, star / anchor design with inscription. Some discoloration on the anchor side, but looks okay in hand Bottom row from left: 1. Alexander Jannaeus lepton; double cornucopia with poppy between / anchor 2. Herod Agrippa I prutah, three wheat ears / umbrella surrounded by "(AGR)IPA (BACILEWC)". Date LS (Year 6, 41 AD). Umbrella is off the strike. 3. Herod Agrippa I prutah, three wheat ears / umbrella surrounded by "AGRIPA (BACILEW)C". Date LS (Year 6, 41 AD). Umbrella is also off the strike on this one. 4. Alexander Jannaeus lepton; double cornucopia with poppy between / wreath with Hebrew inscription "Yehonatan the King, and Counsel of the Jews" Apologies for the poor photos; these are tough coins to take a family portrait of. Corrections welcome as always, as I am still learning the fuzzy boundary between the lepton and the prutah. Edited by Finn235 11/18/2015 4:35 pm Report this Post to the Staff
echizento Moderator United States 23731 Posts	Posted 11/18/2015 4:50 pm You got the start of a nice collection of Judaean coins. Report this Post to the Staff
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