1552

ANCIENT JUDAEA, Jerusalem, AR sela, Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-135 AD), undated issue of Year 3 (AD 134/

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Coins: Ancient Start Price:6,500.00 USD Estimated At:8,000.00 - 16,000.00 USD
ANCIENT JUDAEA, Jerusalem, AR sela, Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-135 AD), undated issue of Year 3 (AD 134/
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ANCIENT JUDAEA, Jerusalem, AR sela, Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-135 AD), undated issue of Year 3 (AD 134/5), very rare, NGC Choice AU, strike 4/5, surface 4/5, overstruck. GBC 6, 6439. GBC 5, 1411. 11.85 grams. 25 mm. Simon in Paleo Hebrew, star above the façade of the Jerusalem Temple, the Ark of the Covenant visible within the entrance / For the Freedom of Jerusalem in Paleo Hebrew, lulav with etrog at left. Super eye appeal from amazing golden toning on obverse with hues of green and blue, light even toning on reverse, both sides quite attractive, well centered and sharply struck, with strong detail throughout. Overstruck on an earlier silver coin, the under-type on this example is essentially obliterated, with no identifiable traces remaining.

Struck during the Bar Kokhba Revolt against Roman rule, when Jewish forces briefly reestablished independent authority in Judea, this silver sela represents the highest denomination of the rebel coinage. Unlike the issues of the First Jewish War, all Bar Kokhba coins were overstruck on circulating Roman silver, chiefly tetradrachms and drachms of Antioch, Tyre, and Caesarea in Cappadocia, as well as Roman denarii. Lacking the time and resources to establish a full mint with smelting and casting, the rebels instead flattened existing coins and restruck them.

The types emphasize symbols of the Jerusalem Temple and its hoped restoration. The obverse shows the façade of the Temple with the Ark visible within the entrance, surmounted by a star often associated with the rebel leader Simon Bar Kokhba, whose name means Son of the Star. The reverse displays the lulav and etrog of the Feast of Tabernacles, reinforcing the central role of Jerusalem and its sacred traditions in the revolt’s message. Coins of the first two years of the revolt bear dated inscriptions, “Year One” or “Year Two of the Redemption of Israel,” while third year issues are undated.
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