PHILISTIA. Central Mint. Philistian-styled, circa 420-350 BCE. Rbʾ Šql = Drachm (Silver, 15 mm, 3.60 g, 9 h). Male (?) head to right, wearing laureate helmet; on cheek,
𐡁 (B in retrograde Aramaic).
Rev. Ibex kneeling right, head turned back to left; above, eagle flying left; below, 𐡇 (Ḥ in Aramaic); all within square border with sides alternating between guilloche-patterned and dotted lines within incuse square. Gitler & Tal XX.14Da (
this coin). Hendin -. Jeselsohn 336 (
same dies). Mildenberg, Imagery, pl. 3, 45 (
same dies). Shoshana -. Sofaer -. Traité II.2, pl. CXXIV, 1 (
same dies). Very rare. Beautifully toned and likely the finest known example, and with an interesting pedigree. Good very fine.
From the collection of Alan Irvin Casden, privately acquired from him in 2003, and from the Jascha Heifetz Collection, Part II, Superior Galleries, 9-10 December 1989, 2792.
Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987), born in Vilnius, was one of the most celebrated violinists of the 20th century and set standards of technical perfection that profoundly influenced generations of musicians. After leaving Russia with his family, he made his sensational American debut at Carnegie Hall in 1917 and became a U.S. citizen in 1925, eventually settling in Los Angeles.
Beyond music, Heifetz was a passionate and discerning collector, with interests ranging from rare books and stamps to coins. His involvement with numismatics extended over many decades, with coins from his collection already appearing at auction in the 1930s. Following his death in 1987, his extensive coin collection was offered by Superior Galleries in two major sales in 1989, encompassing American, ancient and world coins.
