Money of the Bible Collection - Coin Auctions

Lot 3010 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Lot 3010 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Bar Kochba Revolt. Silver Sela (14.50 g), 132-135 CE. Year 1 (132/3 CE). 'Jerusalem', tetrastyle facade of the Temple of Jerusalem; Ark of the Covenant in chest form with semicircular lid and short legs, seen from a narrow side. Reverse: 'Year one of the redemption of Israel', lulav with etrog at left. Mildenberg 3 (O1/R3); TJC 218; Hendin 1373. Very rare and an incredibly choice example of this major Judean rarity. Boldly struck on a full flan with nice wide margins on both sides. Superb Extremely Fine.

Bar Kochba Silver Sela Year 1

Most of the silver Bar Kochba coins were overstruck upon tetradrachms of Antioch commonly circulating in Judaea at that time. They served as a declaration of independence from Rome, since only sovereign entities could mint coins in silver, and in their overstriking, the rebels could simultaneously insult the emperor and make nationalistic declarations. David Hendin maintains that the inscription "First Year" had an "aggressive posture… The principal motive of the coins was both political and psychological-to make bold statements of Jewish sovereignty, whether or not it actually existed, to both Jews and Romans."

The Temple façade on the obverse has been variously described as a schematic depiction of the destroyed Temple in Jerusalem, or perhaps as an imaginary sketch of a rebuilt Temple to come. It has been posited that the item within the two central columns is the Ark of the Covenant, an ark holding Torah scrolls, the showbread table, or possibly a stylized generic ritual chalice.

On the reverse of the sela are represented the Four Species, the most important articles Jews utilize in the ritual observance of Sukkot, known as "The Holiday" while the Temple stood in Jerusalem.

The Four Species are here depicted as the central object, the lulav (a bundle comprised of three of the species) and, to its left, the etrog (the fourth species). The objects used in the ritual celebration of the festival of Sukkot is commanded in Leviticus 23:40-41: "You shall take for yourselves on the first day [of Sukkot] the fruit of the citron tree (etrog), the branches of the date palm (tamar), twigs of a plaited tree [myrtle] (aravot), and brook willows (hasadim)… You shall celebrate it [Sukkot] as a festival for God …[This is] an eternal decree for your generations."

After the destruction of the Temple (70 C.E.), Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai (who had escaped from the besieged Jerusalem in a coffin) ordered that the ceremony of the Four Species should be carried out as a memorial to the Temple. (Mehahot 65a).
Estimated Value $60,000-UP.

Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Money of the Bible Collection
Lot 3037 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Lot 3037 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Bar Kochba Revolt. Silver Zuz (3.22 g), 132-135 CE. Undated, attributed to year 3 (134/5 CE). 'Shim'on' (but letters arranged Shim'na), in two lines within a wreath of thin branches wrapped around eight almonds, medallion at top, and tendrils below, pair of dots, one inside and one outside, between each section. Reverse: 'For the freedom of Jerusalem', elongated lyre with three strings. Mildeberg 101 (O16/R69); TJC 272a; Hendin 1424. Delicately toned. Superb Extremely Fine.
Estimated Value $500 - 600.

Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Money of the Bible Collection
Lot 3005 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Lot 3005 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Jewish War. Silver 1/2 Shekel (6.57 g), 66-70 CE. Year 3 (68/9 CE). 'Half of a shekel' around, 'year 3' above, omer cup with pearled rim. Reverse: 'Jerusalem the holy', sprig of three pomegranates. TJC 203; Hendin 1362. Well struck with lovely natural multicolor iridescent toning. Superb Extremely Fine.
Estimated Value $4,000 - 5,000.
Ex Goldberg 41 (27 May 2007), 2505.

Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Money of the Bible Collection
Lot 3021 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Lot 3021 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Bar Kochba Revolt. Silver Zuz (3.18 g), 132-135 CE. Year 2 (133/4 CE). 'Shim'' (abbreviating Shi'mon), in triangular form within a wreath of thin branches wrapped around eight almonds, medallion at top, and tendrils below. Reverse: 'Year two of the freedom of Israel', wide lyre with three strings, four dots on sound box. Mildeberg 13 (O4/R7); TJC 238; Hendin 1389. Rare. Lightly toned. Extremely Fine.
Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,500.

Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Money of the Bible Collection
Lot 3032 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Lot 3032 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Bar Kochba Revolt. Silver Sela (14.00 g), 132-135 CE. Irregular issue. Undated, attributed to year 3 (134/5 CE). 'Shim'on', tetrastyle facade of the Temple of Jerusalem; Ark of the Covenant in chest form with semicircular lid and short legs, seen from a narrow side; star above. Reverse: 'For the freedom of Israel', lulav with etrog at left. Mildeberg 102 (O23/R77); TJC 268; Hendin 1411a. Rare. A very choice example of the "Irregular issue" with no striking flaws. Lightly toned. Extremely Fine.
Estimated Value $6,000 - 8,000.

Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Money of the Bible Collection
Lot 3048 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Lot 3048 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Nerva. Æ Sestertius (26.11 g), AD 96-98. Rome, AD 96. IMP NERVA CAE[S AVG] P M TR P COS III P P, laureate head of Nerva right. Reverse: FISCI IVDAICI CALVMNIA SVBLATA, S C across field, palm tree with two large bunches of dates. RIC 82; BMC 105; BN 97; Hendin 1603 (this coin). A pleasing example of this famous issue with light to medium chocolate brown patina. Clear and full reverse legend. Very rare. Very Fine.

Nerva Sesterius Fiscus Judaicus

Marius Heemstra, in a recent article, challenges the earlier interpretation of the reverse inscription: FISCI IVDAICI CALVMNIA SVBLATA "The embarrassment (CALVMNIA) of the Jewish Tax (FISCI IVDAICI) is removed," i.e., that the Jewish tax, which had been introduced by Vespasian after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, was repealed by Nerva, in whole or in part. Heemstra also disagrees with the theory that that the CALVMNIA was "the circumcision test" described by Suetonius (Dom. 12.1-2).

According to the Roman historian Suetonius: "More than any other, the Fiscus Iudaicus was administered very severely; and to it were brought, or reported, those who either had lived the life of a Jew unprofessed, or concealing their origin, had not paid the tax imposed upon the people. I remember that it was of interest to me during my youth when a ninety-year-old man was brought before the procurator and a very crowded court to see whether he was circumcised."

Rather, Heemstra maintains that the tax was not repealed, but, rather, that the legend should be translated: "The removal of the wrongful accusation (CALVMNIA) of the Fiscus Judaicus (the imperial tax collection agency)."

What was the CALVMNIA? Meestra explains that before the "removal" of the "wrongful accusation," by Nerva, it is highly plausible that the charge of 'leading a Jewish life without publically acknowledging that fact' could have been levied against high-ranking Romans who could then have been victims of the Fiscus Judaicus, which would confiscate their wealth. Conviction could occur either on political grounds, instigated by the emperor himself (Domitian), or because any affiliation with Judaism, however small, could lead to an accusation of "atheism," which to Romans meant not recognizing their pagan gods.

Meestra points out that an important impact of the new law was that it necessitated a clarification in the definition of who was the taxpayer, and, thus, who was considered to be a Jew. Instead of "each one of the Jews" (Josephus), or, "those belonging to the Jewish gens" (Suetonius), the definition changed to "those Jews who continued to observe their ancestral customs" (Dio). In practice, these were the Jews that had been paying the tax in the first place.

By removing the CALVMNIA "the wrongful accusation," Nerva succeeded in transforming the definition of 'Jew' from an ethnic one into a religious one, which both the Romans and Jews adopted. Regardless, this coin represents Nerva's order not to abolish the tax itself but of the insulting method of collecting the Jewish tax.

See discussion in: Marius Heemstra, "The interpretation and Wider Context of Nerva's Fiscus Judaicus Sestertius, Judaea and Rome in Coins 65 BCE - 135 CE, London: Spink and Sons, 2010, 187-201.
Estimated Value $10,000 - 12,000.
Ex Hendin plate coin.

Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Money of the Bible Collection
Lot 3000 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Lot 3000 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Judaea, Hasmonean Kingdom. Mattathias Antigonos. Æ Prutah (1.37 g), 40-37 BCE. Trace of 'Mattatayah the High Priest', showbread table. Reverse: [BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIΓONOY], seven-branched menorah. TJC 41; Hendin 1168; Menorah Coin Project ATG 07, engraver C, dies O11/R16 (this coin). Extremely Rare and the only ancient Jewish coin depicting the menorah. Very Fine.

Mattathias Antigonos Prutah Showbread table / menorah.

Fewer than 40 specimens known. These prutot were larger and thinner than the other prutot of Antigonus, but of a similar quantity of copper.

This prutah type is the only coin from antiquity which depicts both the showbread table and the menorah. The objects depicted on the coins of Antigonos predate the destruction of the Temple (70 A.D.) by more than a century. The engravers of the coin may actually have seen the menorah and the showbread table, both of which are depicted in the relief sculpted in the Arch of Titus (c. 82 A.D.).

The menorah and the showbread had been situated opposite one another in front of the entrance to the Holy of Holies (which housed the Ark of the Covenant), and were considered the most sacred of the Temple appurtenances.

"The very boldness of his [Antigonos'] utilization of these images may have indicated just how intense was his struggle for sovereignty against Herod, since he [Antigonos] flouted the traditional convention observed by earlier Jewish rulers against using sacred appurtenances from the Temple on coinage. He did this perhaps in a desperate effort to make the point that the right to mint coins was his as the legitimate heir to the high priesthood, a hereditary post, and a title to which Herod could never lay claim" (C. W. Samuels, The Numismatic Legacy of the Jews (Ed. Paul Rynearson), New York: The Numismatic Review, 2000, 30-32).
Estimated Value $45,000-UP.

Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Money of the Bible Collection
Lot 3016 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Lot 3016 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Bar Kochba Revolt. Silver Sela (14.71 g), 132-135 CE. Year 2 (133/4 CE). 'Jerusalem', tetrastyle facade of the Temple of Jerusalem; Ark of the Covenant in chest form with semicircular lid and short legs, seen from a narrow side; star above. Reverse: 'Year two of the freedom of Israel', lulav with etrog at left. Mildeberg 14 (O3/R8); TJC 230a; Hendin 1387. Rare - only five specimens listed in Mildenberg. Well struck on a slightly irregular size flan with underlying luster still present. Superb Extremely Fine.
Estimated Value $5,000 - 6,000.

Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Money of the Bible Collection
Lot 3027 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Lot 3027 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Bar Kochba Revolt. Silver Zuz (3.32 g), 132-135 CE. Year 2 (133/4 CE). 'Shim'on', in two lines within a wreath of thin branches wrapped around eight almonds, medallion at top, and tendrils below. Reverse: 'Year two of the freedom of Israel', fluted jug with handle on left; willow branch at right. Mildeberg - (O14/R26), die combination not recorded); Kaufman 12 (O14/R26); TJC -; Hendin -. Extremely Rare. Underyling luster present and lightly toned. Extremely Fine.
Estimated Value $2,500-UP.

Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Money of the Bible Collection
Lot 3043 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Lot 3043 - Money of the Bible Collection - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Vespasian. Gold Aureus (7.08 g), AD 69-79. 'Judaea Capta' type. Rome, AD 69/70. IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head of Vespasian right. Reverse: IVDAEA in exergue, Jewess seated right, head resting on hand in attitude of mourning; behind, trophy. RIC 1; BMC 31-4; BN 20-2; Calicó 643; Hendin 1464 (this coin). Boldly struck with excellent detail throughout. Some scattered marks about, none too serious with underlying luster present. About Extremely Fine.

Mourning JUDAEA with military trophy.

First coin of the standard 'Judaea Capta' series. In the 'Judaea Capta' coinage, the seated personified Judaea evokes the iconographic language of the defeated and degraded prisoner. The conquered province type has its own set of gestures expressing a mournful or abject context, which are derived from Roman funerary iconography. They include an attitude formed by the resting of the chin in the hand, a pose that evokes pensiveness, uncertainty, and grief with overtones of repentance or lamentation. Additionally, the mourner is shown with hunched shoulders, and a bowed and covered head. The depiction of the personified province recollects the Biblical description of the besieged Jerusalem by the prophet Isaiah (c. 700 B.C.E.): "For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen… Thy men shall fall by the sword and thy mighty in the war. And her gates shall lament and mourn, and she, being desolate, shall sit upon the ground" (Isaiah 3:8-9; 25-26).

The imposing military trophy standing to the left of the picture looms over the back of the vanquished Judaea, taunting the humiliated figure, re-enforcing the fact that the weapons used to resist Rome are now spoils to the victors; they no longer hold power.
Estimated Value $35,000-UP.
Ex Hendin plate coin.

Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc. Pre-Long Beach Auction #90

Money of the Bible Collection