PHILISTIA. Askalon (Ashkelon). Circa 420-350 BCE. Mʿh = Obol (Silver, 10 mm, 0.71 g, 6 h). Female head to right, the hair drawn back and tied into a ponytail, wearing a pearl necklace; before, V-shaped symbols within circular guilloche-pattern border. Rev. Owl standing facing, wings spread; to upper left, 𐤍𐤀 ('N in Phoenician); above the owl's head and below its feet, hieroglyphic sign for a ripple of water (?); lotus buds on four sides; all within incuse square. Fischer-Bossert, Philistian, 6e (this coin). Gitler & Tal III.4Ob corr. (same dies, but necklace and obverse ornaments not noted, and the hieroglyphic sign for water below not above the owl). Hendin -. Jeselsohn -, cf. 35 (same reverse die). Shoshana -. Sofaer -. Extremely rare, one of just six known examples, and only the second known specimen of this previously unrecognized variety. A magnificent piece, beautifully toned and with exceptional detail. Uncleaned horn silver and with a small die break on the obverse, otherwise, extremely fine.



This piece is remarkable not only for its exceptional preservation, but also for its considerable numismatic importance, since it represents a previously unrecognized variety. On the obverse, V-shaped symbols with terminal dots are visible between the nose, mouth, and chin of the female head and the dotted border. On the die-identical example Gitler & Tal III.4Ob (see lot 15 below), struck from a worn obverse die, these symbols are barely discernible, especially as they partly fell outside the flan. This explains why III.4Oa and III.4Ob have hitherto been described as a single type.

The symbols recall what Gitler & Tal describe as the 'hieroglyphic sign for a ripple of water' appearing on the reverse above the owl; on the obverse, by contrast, the individual elements are separated by distinct spaces, whereas on the reverse they form a continuous motif. In fact, this sign appears below the owl’s feet rather than above them. Its close resemblance to the newly identified obverse symbols raises the question whether it should be understood as a decorative motif rather than as a hieroglyphic sign. Finally, our piece is also significant in that the likewise previously overlooked pearl necklace is clearly visible here.