PHILISTIA. Central Mint. Athenian-styled, circa 420-350 BCE. Rbʾ Šql = Drachm (Silver, 14 mm, 3.53 g, 6 h). Complex hybrid janiform head, with male (?) head facing and female head to right, surmounted by a long-tailed crouching lion to right with reverted head and open jaws; both human heads wearing pearl necklaces; all within circular guilloche-pattern border. Rev. Head of Athena to right, wearing crested Attic helmet decorated with three olive leaves and palmette; in three of the corners, uncertain symbols; all within square guilloche-pattern border within incuse square. Gitler & Tal XIV.35Da = Mildenberg, Imagery, pl. III, 52 = Mildenberg, Palästina, pl. LIX, 90 (same dies). Hendin pl. 2, 6016 (this coin). Jeselsohn 266 = Mildenberg, Vestigia, pl. XXVI, 6 = Shoshana I 20008 (same dies). Leu Web Auction 30 (2024), 1097 (same dies). Sofaer -. Extremely rare, one of just six known examples, and the sole without a test cut. Beautifully toned. Somewhat rough and the reverse struck slightly off center, otherwise, very fine.



In the Numismatica Ars Classica 59 description, the piece was identified with the drawing in Hendin, presumably because that coin is likewise shown without a test cut. The drawing, however, is taken from Gitler and Tal and does not depict this coin, but rather XIV.35Da = lot 67, the cover coin of the Leu Judaica Collection. The test cut was omitted by the draughtsman in order to show the reverse type more clearly. In any case, the absence of a test cut on our coin is remarkable, since the other five known specimens all bear test cuts on the reverse. The present piece is therefore the only one to preserve the entire head of Athena intact.