JUDAEA, Bar Kokhba War. 132-136 CE. Middle Bronze (Bronze, 24 mm, 10.07 g, 6 h), regular coinage. Uncertain mint, Year 1 (?) = 132/3 CE. 𐤔𐤌𐤏 (‘Šimʿon’, abbreviated, in Paleo-Hebrew) Seven-branched palm tree with two bunches of dates. Rev. 𐤔𐤍𐤕 𐤀𐤇𐤕 𐤋𐤂𐤀𐤋𐤕 𐤉𐤔𐤓𐤀𐤋 ('Year 1 of the Redemption of Israel' in Paleo-Hebrew) Vine leaf on tendril. Bromberg I 243 (same dies). Hendin 6408. Meshorer, AJC, -. Mildenberg 47.4 = 47.6 (this coin, O2/R12). Samel 2428-2429 (same dies). Shoshana I 20242 (same dies). Sofaer -. A beautiful piece with a wonderful palm tree. The reverse slightly weak, otherwise, about extremely fine.



The abbreviated legend 𐤔𐤌𐤏 ('Shimʿ' in Paleo-Hebrew) suggests that, despite the Year 1 date on the reverse, the present coin is in fact a hybrid struck in Year 2; cf. also lots 255-258 below. Curiously, Mildenberg, who did not recognize the hybrid nature of the issue, seems to have catalogued the present specimen twice: first as no. 4, 'Leu stock 1982, 10.07 [g]', and again as no. 6, his plate coin, with the provenance 'MMAG stock 1966'. He evidently did not realize that the two entries referred to the same coin.