PHILISTIA. Central Mint. Philistian-styled, circa 420-350 BCE. Mʿh = Obol (Silver, 11 mm, 0.71 g, 12 h). Bearded male head to right, surmounted by a long-tailed crouching lion to right with reverted head and open jaws (?). Rev. Hybrid janiform head, with male (?) head facing and bearded male head in profile to right, within dotted square border within incuse square. Gitler & Tal XVI.24Oa = Gitler, Johananoff and Tal, Overstrikes (forthcoming), Fig. 1 and Fig. 4, XVI.24Oa (this coin). Hendin -. Jeselsohn -. Shoshana -. Sofaer -. Unique and of great importance. A beautifully toned piece with intricate iconography and a fascinating overstrike. Traces of overstriking, otherwise, extremely fine.



Gitler & Tal left open whether the clearly visible head of Bes on the reverse of this unique obol formed part of the original die design, with the frontal head serving as its mouth, or whether it resulted from an overstrike. Closer examination of the surviving traces, however, allows the question to be resolved in favour of an overstrike. The slightly tilted impression of the incuse square belonging to the Bes type is clearly visible, as is its beaded neck truncation. The latter is particularly significant, since it permits the identification not only of the undertype but also of the specific die: its form is entirely characteristic of Gitler & Tal XVIII.1Oa, as may be seen especially clearly on Jeselsohn 303 and Leu Web Auction 32 (2024), 836. Gitler, Johananoff and Tal have independently arrived at the same identification and will discuss the coin as an overstrike in a forthcoming article.

Traces of overstriking are likewise visible on the obverse, including an additional beaded border and a curious 'right angle' at 6 o’clock. The latter is most probably not an overstrike trace on that coin, but part of the design of the Bes die itself, having been misinterpreted as an overstrike trace on Jeselsohn 303. As the die-identical specimen in Leu Web Auction 32 (2024), 836, demonstrates, it actually belongs to the die itself, which was rather worn and may therefore have been reworked. The fact that this 'right angle' appears so low on the flan, with an additional beaded border visible above it, suggests that the undertype had been double struck, or had perhaps itself already been overstruck.

This interpretation also has the advantage of making the iconography of our coin much clearer. The obverse shows a bearded head surmounted by a recumbent lion facing right, a motif also encountered on Gitler & Tal XIV.35 (cf. lots 67-70 above). The reverse, in turn, depicts a janiform head, with one face turned to the right and the other shown frontally, precisely as on the obverse of Gitler & Tal XIV.35, except that here the right-facing face is bearded. In style and execution, the coin also recalls Gitler & Tal XVIII.8 (see lots 108-109 below). We are therefore dealing with a coin of exceptionally complex iconography, whose overstriking on Gitler & Tal XVIII.1Oa also makes it of considerable technical and chronological importance.