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60
Judaea, Bar Kokhba Revolt. Æ Medium Bronze (12.47 g), 132-135 CE. Year 1 (132/3 CE). ‘Sma’
(abbreviating Simon; Paleo-Hebrew), seven-branched palm tree with two bunches of dates. Rev. ‘Year one
of the redemption of Israel’ (Paleo-Hebrew), vine leaf on tendril. (Mildenberg 167 (O6/R6); TJC 258;
Hendin 1379a).
Very rare - only 4 examples cited by Mildenberg.
Brown patina with sandy highlights. Choice
very fine.
$ 1,000
Purchased privately from D. Hendin, July 1989.
This is a so-called irregular issue of the main year 1 middle bronze palm tree series. Like all of the irregular issues of the Bar Kokhba
War (132-135 CE), it is distinguished by crude engraving and errors in the legends. These irregularities indicate either the use of
unskilled die cutters at the Bar Kokhba mint(s) or that these particular issues were produced in haste and otherwise difficult circum-
stances. features an obverse legend that abbreviates the name of Simon bar Kokhba and his title as
nasi
(president) of Israel to the
three letters SMA. It is the type common to year 2 medium bronzes, but here is paired with a reverse of year 1.
61
Judaea, Bar Kokhba Revolt. Æ Small Bronze (6.32 g), 132-135 CE. Year 1 (132/3 CE). ‘Eleazar the priest’
(Paleo-Hebrew), seven-branched palm tree with two bunches of dates. Rev. ‘Year one of the redemption of
Israel’ (Paleo-Hebrew), bunch of grapes with branch and small leaf. (Mildenberg 150 (O1/R4); TJC 224;
Hendin 1380). Earthen-green patina. Extremely fine.
$ 600
Purchased privately from D. Hendin, November 1985.
The small bronze denomination of the first year (132/3 CE) of the Bar Kokhba War is typologically connected to the middle bronze
palm tree denominations. The palm tree emblem of Judaea appears again on the obverse, but on the reverse the vine leaf of the
middle bronze denomination is replaced by a grape bunch.