December 28, 2009
Book: The Star of Bethlehem by Michael Molnar
Since I made reference to this book in my last post I think it is best I give a little more details. The Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of the Magi is a book by Michael Molnar published in 1999.
The book is a result of Molnar having purchased a bronze coin of Antioch with a Ram and star on it. The Ram represents the constellation Aries and the star could represent the planet Jupiter. Thus begins Molnar’s search to understand how the people of this time understood astrology and to see if there was any insight from all this into the Star of Bethlehem. He discovered that the constellation Aries was understood as a symbol of the land of Judea and this was why the coin was minted because Judea had just been annexed to Rome. However with the planet Jupiter also represented on the coin it could have seen later on by Christians as having a connection with the birth of a King.
Here is the order of events as I understand them. 1) In 6BC the planet Jupiter passed through the constellation Aries. 2) In 6AD a coin was minted with a Ram and a star to celebrate the Roman Annexation of Judea. 3) Years later in Antioch Christians began to link the coin symbols with the Birth of Jesus. 4) When the Gospel Infancy Narratives were written they were influenced by the oral tradition of the birth of Christ that developed in Antioch. Therefore when you find passages like the star “went before” and “stood above” it is a reference to the movement of the planet Jupiter through the constellation Aries. People of this day would have understood the symbolism to mean that a King had been born in the land of Judea.
Whether or not you go along with his theory the book is a good read because he helps one understand the influence that the “heavens” had on the people of this time. From a numismatic point of view it also sheds light on some of the symbols that will be found in ancient coins.
December 25, 2009
Antioch: The Star of Bethlehem Coin
Since it is Christmas this coin of Antioch should be noted because it is often referred to as the “Star of Bethlehem” coin. It is a bronze coin that was first minted around 5/6 AD and coins in this series were minted 11-14 AD. The coin below is from the later part of this series.
It is called “the Star of Bethlehem” coin because of a book by the same name written by Michael Molnar. In this book Molnar combines his knowledge of astronomy with his hobby of ancient coins. Molnar points out that the RAM was a symbol of the people of Judea and the planet Jupiter did pass through this constellation around 6 BC. Currently 6 BC is around the time that we think Jesus of Nazareth was born.
What I understand happened to Molnar was that he began to study astrological events around the time of Christ because of this coin. The coin obviously was not minted by Roman authorities to celebrate the birth of Jesus. But this coin of 6 AD helped him discover an interesting event from the year 6 BC. A celestial event that could have been understood by the people of that day as the sign of a great King to be born in Judea.
SYRIA: Antioch
Size: AE 18mm
Date: 12/13 AD (Year 43)
Obverse: Zeus
Reverse: Ram w/Star
Reference: RPC I 4268
September 12, 2009
Otho Denarius is Real!
In my last post I said that I had obtained a suspicious looking Otho denarius. I also said that I was sending it away to be authenticated. I chose to send the coin to David R. Sear because he has a very good reputation in regards to ancient coins and offers an authenticating service.
After examining the coin he declares that it is authentic but that the surfaces indicate a “clumsy attempt to remove a heavy layer of corrosion.” Some of the cleaning damage is visible from the photo. This coin then finishes my collection of the Twelve Caesars. The Otho coin is usually the last one collected because he was only in power for a very short time and therefore there were less of his coins minted.
Ruler: Otho
Demonination: Denarius
Date: 69 AD
Obverse: Otho r.
Reverse: Securutas
Reference: Sear 2163
August 27, 2009
Book: Money of the Bible by Kenneth Bressett
I was given a copy of Kenneth Bressett’s 2005 edition of Money of the Bible as a gift.
This is a large coffee-table style book that is filled with full color illustrations of biblical coins as well as Holy Land scenes and illustrations. Since it is only 114 pages long it is meant to be an introduction to the topic of money and its place in the Old and New Testament eras. Many of the coins are greatly magnified to help one see the details but there are notes telling you what the approximate size would be. I say approximate because each coin was minted individually so there will be a range of size and weight even though they were all meant to be the same.
Bressett’s book has two interesting lists of people. The first one was a list of the Roman Emperors who were in power during the first century, complete with portrait coins for each emperor. This series of emperors can make for an interesting collection with the most difficult one to obtain being coins of Otho since he was in power only for a few months. I did recently find one at a reasonable price but after obtaining it I have reason to believe it is a counterfeit. I have sent it off to be authenticated and will have to wait and see what the reports say about the coin. When I get the answer I will of course report it here!
The second list is that of the Procurators assigned in Judea up to the time of the First Revolt (circa 66AD). What is interesting with the Procurator list is that it names fourteen people who held this job. Usually you will find only six mentioned by ancient collectors because only six of them minted coins. However, you never know what coins are yet to be discovered!
Ruler: Otho
Date: 69 AD
Demonination: Denarius
Obverse: Otho
Reverse: Pax
July 26, 2009
Lead Tesseras: Ancient Jewish Coin or Modern Forgery?
It was an auction from a dealer who specializes in Judean coins. The lot was described “Lead Tesseras. A group of 3 different pieces all thought to be from 1st Century BCE. One with palm tree, one with double cornucopia, third with helmet. Average VF. “ I happen to collect Jewish lead tesseras so I was intrigued and sent in a bid. In fact I even won the lot! And in a short time it arrived in the mail.
They were not like anything I had seen before which can mean an interesting find or trouble… They looked too “modern” in design and the texture was not like other coins from the period. Hmmm. I wondered, and immediately went first to the book I just talked about in my 7/23/09 post: David Hendin’s Not Kosher. In short order I found two of the three coins and they are shown below. They were fantasy pieces that entered the coin market in the 1960′s or 1970′s. They were made out of lead and have a white patina. They were designed to be coins that people would probably attribute to Herod the Great.
The third coin was not listed in the book but it is of the same design style and has the same patina look of the two I can identify. Clearly it is also a modern forgery. Well, not exactly what I had hoped for when I bid on these coins but now I do have some great “in-hand” examples of modern forgeries.
Ruler: Herod I the Great
Obverse: Table with bowl
Reverse: Military Helmet
Reference: Hendin F486.5
Ruler: Herod I the Great
Obverse: Anchor
Reverse: Double Cornucopia
Reference: Hendin F500.1
July 23, 2009
Book: Not Kosher by David Hendin
I obtained a first edition copy of David Hendin’s 2005 book, Not Kosher, directly from him and as a bonus it was autographed!
The book gives an overview of some of the known modern forgeries of ancient Jewish and Biblical coins. It is important to make a distinction here. The coins in this book are ones that were made recently and not to be confused with ancient counterfeit (fouree) coins which are quite collectible. This book mostly presents coins that are copies of actual ancient coins but many fantasy coins are listed as well. Fantasy coins are ones that someone created to look like they are authentic but do not match any known ancient coin. Each coin in the book is described in detail and there are numerous photographs. In some cases the coin has also been magnified to help see the details.
If you are dealing with a knowledgeable ancient coin dealer the topic of modern ancient forgeries will not surface. But if you find coins from another source, especially a person who is not familiar with ancient coins, problems can arise. There are coins that were made as museum gift shop replicas. These usually have the word COPY on them but of course that could be removed from the coin. There are also coins that are made to deceive the buyer into thinking they are genuine. Again the key is the source of your coin and the knowledge of the one selling it. To help prevent some of these problems this book is a wonderful guide.
July 20, 2009
Book: Biblical Numismatics by Shirley Barr Page
I was able to obtain a copy of Biblical Numismatics by Shirley Barr Page. It was printed in 2001. In her introduction she notes that she became interested in Bible coins after reading Florence Banks’ book, Coins of Bible Days that I posted on 6/18/09.
This is a very large coffee-table style book that is filled with color photographs with each coin greatly enlarged. It is divided into three sections: Old Testament Period; Intertestamental Period and New Testament Period. The overall style is clear: a coin is presented and quickly described and then placed in historical context. Each coin becomes a story in itself so you can easily just jump around the book reading “short stories.”
The first section – The Old Testament Period- also contains a section on artifacts. You can see various oil lamps and stone shekel weights. These items can often also be obtained through coin dealers at prices similar in range to what you would pay for ancient coins. So if you begin a collection of Biblical Coins you can easily add an artifact or two without having to travel to Israel!
The Intertestamental Period- by making this a separate category it opens up a wide range of coins. This section will contain Greek coins, Phoenician coins, Seleucid Kingdom coins and Ptolemaic Dynasty coins. The depth of this section is a real highlight of this book because you get an understanding of the larger world at the time.
The New Testament Period- Here we have coins of the Herodian Dynasty, Procurators of Judea, the Roman Empire and the Revolt of the Jews coins. This section closes with coins in the lifetime of Jesus Christ. Following this last section there are a number of color plate pages showing even more examples of some of the coins already described.
July 5, 2009
Book: A Handy Guide to Jewish Coins by Rev. Edgar Rogers
I found a copy of A Handy Guide to Jewish Coins by Rev. Edgar Rogers on the Internet. It was copyrighted in 1914 but the copy I have is a later reprinted edition from 1977. I was able to obtain a hardcover copy for $35.
The book is both an interesting read and a catalogue of coin information. Each chapter tells a little story about the era and the coins that go with it, for example, the Hashmonean Family (his spelling), the Herodian Family, Procurators, Second Revolt, etc. There are photos of the coins in the back of the book. Rogers is not neutral in style in presenting his options and more than once I smiled as I read him going off on his argument about a particular coin or a particular biblical word translation.
I should note that concerning at least one particular issue he was incorrect. I really cannot blame him because for many years a series of coins that are now attributed to the First Revolt (66-71 AD) were erroneously attributed by most authors as being the first Jewish coins minted (circa 164 BC). Rogers then takes on Theodore Reinach, who wrote a book called “Jewish Coins,” who he says holds that these particular coins are to be attributed to the First Revolt and then gives a long series of reasons as to why Reinach has to be wrong. Alas over time, it was discovered that these were First Revolt coins after all.
What I found most helpful about this book is the detailed information about the inscriptions found on the coins. With this handy guide you will be able to understand the individual letters of the Hebrew and Greek legends. Together with detailed information about the symbols on the coins it is an impressive text and no wonder that it is still being reprinted.
June 24, 2009
Book: A Numismatic Journey Through the Bible by Richard Plant
I recently purchased a copy of A Numismatic Journey Through the Bible by Rev. Richard Plant. It was copyrighted in 2007 . There are no photographs in this book but instead there are plenty of illustrations of the various coins. Also each coin drawing gives an estimated cost if you go seeking a “Very Fine” (VF) copy for your collection. I was able to obtain a new copy of the book for $24.
This book is very broad in scope, meaning that it covers ancient, medieval and modern coins. Even though the overall scope is massive the bulk of the book will focus on the New Testament era. The 5th Chapter will take you on a walk through the lands of Galilee, Samaria, Judaea and the Decapolis with coins for each city mentioned.
What I found most helpful is that the author wants to help you actually read what is written on the coins. You will get an overview of the Hebrew, Latin and Greek alphabet as well as key words that will repeat on coins. Plus there is a section on how the “alphabet” is used as “numerals” so that we can understand the dates minted on many coins.
June 21, 2009
Book: Coins and Christianity by Kenneth Jacob
I found a copy of Coins and Christianity by Kenneth Jacob at a Coin Show. It was first copyrighted in 1959 but the copy I have is a later “revised and enlarged”edition from 1985. I kind of chuckled when I read that because the book is only 5″ x 7″ and 1/2″ thick, so I wonder what was its size before it was “enlarged? ” I was able to obtain a new looking copy for $15.
This small book covers a lot of territory. It goes from the beginning of coinage right through to the modern era in 91 pages. The focus of the book is to explore Christian symbols as they appear on coins throughout the centuries. Since there are no Christian symbols on coins until the Battle of the Milvian Bridge the Chapter on Coins of the Bible is rather short. I personally am not focusing my collection on this later Roman era but if this is where your collection interests lie then this book is for you.
I did find out that Biblical Coin coin collecting was very popular in the 16th century. At that time they misidentified the Jewish First revolt coins (circa 66-71 AD) to have been from an earlier time period (136 BC). They minted copies of the coins and told a story that these were the coins used to pay the 30 pieces of silver to Judas. They were popularly called the “Judas Pennies.” They are crudely made so there is no fear today that these are still on the market and seen as “authentic.”
