JUDAEA, Bar Kokhba War. 132-136 CE. Zuz = Denarius (Silver, 18 mm, 3.12 g, 6 h), regular coinage. Uncertain mint, Year 2 = 133/4 CE. 𐤔𐤌𐤏𐤅𐤍 (‘Šimʿon’ in Paleo-Hebrew) Grape bunch on vine with small leaf to left. Rev. 𐤔𐤁 𐤋𐤇𐤓 𐤉𐤔𐤓𐤀𐤋 ('Year 2 of the Freedom of Israel' in Paleo-Hebrew) Narrow three-stringed kithara-lyre. Bromberg I 146 (same dies). Hendin 6425 (same dies). Meshorer, AJC, 25 (this coin). Mildenberg 47.2 (this coin, O8/R27). Samel 2421 (same dies). Shoshana I 20314-20315 (same dies). Sofaer 44. Beautifully toned, and the Meshorer plate coin. Overstruck on a denarius of Vespasian. Traces of overstriking, otherwise, good very fine.



When this zuz first appeared at auction in Leu 72, it was described as being overstruck on a denarius of Trajan. The cataloguer had correctly read IANVS AVG at 1-5 o’clock on the obverse, but mistakenly restored the legend as TRAIANVS AVG. Neither the clearly visible, distinctive heavy facial features nor the fact that the legend ends simply in AVG, however, is consistent with Trajan.

The undertype is instead a denarius of Vespasian. The beginning of the obverse legend, IMP, is clearly visible, and the full legend must have read IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG. Together with the clockwise direction of the legend, this points to a denarius struck at Rome in 70 CE.

The identification can be narrowed down even further. On the reverse, faint traces of [...] TR PO[...] can be made out at 3-5 o’clock. The undertype can therefore be assigned to Vespasian’s earliest dated issue from Rome, struck between January and June 70 CE, with the reverse legend COS ITER TR POT. Several reverse types are possible: RIC 21, 23, 25, 27, and 29.