JUDAEA, Bar Kokhba War. 132-136 CE. Zuz = Denarius (Silver, 21 mm, 3.44 g, 12 h), regular coinage. Uncertain mint. Undated, but attributed to Year 3 = 134/5 CE. 𐤔𐤌𐤏𐤅𐤍 (‘Šimʿon’ in Paleo-Hebrew) Grape bunch on vine. Rev. 𐤋𐤇𐤓𐤅𐤕 𐤉𐤓𐤅𐤔𐤋𐤌 ('For the Freedom of Jerusalem' in Paleo-Hebrew) Two upright trumpets. Bromberg I 208 (same dies). Hendin 6458. Meshorer, AJC, 60. Mildenberg 199.7 (this coin, O22/R86). Samel 2486 (same obverse die). Shoshana I 20444-20451. Sofaer 138-139. Lightly toned and with an exceptionally clear overstrike. Traces of overstriking, otherwise, about extremely fine.



This zuz preserves an exceptionally clear overstrike on a denarius of Domitian, whose portrait and the legend [...]RM P M TR P VIII are visible on the reverse between 9 and 12 o’clock. Of the denarius’s reverse, which appears on the obverse of the our zuz, the legend [...]ENS P P [...] can still be discerned. These surviving legend fragments show that the denarius bore the obverse legend IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P VIII and was struck in 88-89 (cf. RIC 652 ff). The reverse legend cannot be fully reconstructed, however, since the imperatorial acclamation number following IMP is not visible.