Lot 1846

Description

Phoenicia, Tyre, (c.2nd century B.C. - 1st century A.D.), silver shekel or tetrarachm, (14.278 grams), Tyre mint, issued 80-79 B.C., obv. laureate head of Melqarth beardless to right, rev. eagle to left with closed wings, carrying palm, standing on prow of ship, club to left, to left ZM ( = 47 [= 80-79 B.C.], to right **D*, Phoenician letter between legs, around **TUROU IERAS KAI ASULOU*, (S.5918, cf.BMC 139, H.917 [305]). Toned, attractive round flan with sharp legends, extremely fine or better and a rare date, and very rare variety.

The Shekels and half shekels of Tyre are of special interest to this series of Ancient Jewish and Biblical coins as Jews had to pay an annual sum to the Jerusalem Temple one half shekel and the only acceptable money were the shekels of Tyre. They were widely available in Jerusalem and well known for their true weight and good silver. It is also believed that the 'thirty pieces of silver' paid to Judas were these Tyre shekels. (See Hendin pages 288-293).