JUDAEA, Hellenistic Period. Ptolemaic issues, circa 294-242/1 BC. 1/4 Obol or Ma'ah (Silver, 6 mm, 0.16 g, 2 h), Jerusalem, 294-circa 282 and 272-262/1. Diademed head of Ptolemy I to right. Rev. 'YHDH' ('Yehudah' in Paleo-Hebrew) Eagle with spread wings standing left. CPE 254 & 711. GLT Type 37 (O3/R15). Gitler & Lorber Group 7, no. 16. TJC 32. Rare. An excellently preserved and beautifully toned example of this fascinating issue. Die break on the reverse, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.

This beautiful coin belongs to a larger series of small silver coins locally struck in Judea (Yehud) in the 4th-3rd centuries BC. As this particular type is clearly based on a Ptolemaic prototype, it can date no earlier than 294, since Ptolemy I first introduced his new types (royal portrait on the obverse, eagle on the reverse) in that year. At the same time, the type might have been revived under Ptolemy II, making a fixed chronology difficult. As for the use of Ptolemaic types, the appropriation of 'foreign' iconography for local coinage in the broader area, including Samaria and Philistia, was no novelty. Conversely, though the iconography is Ptolemaic, metrologically the weight of these coins accords to the Attic standard, reflecting the complex and fascinating monetary history of this region.