I have 15 coins in my meager ancient collection I like having this because it is mentioned in The Bible in The Gospel of Mark Chapter 12 Verses 41-44. Alexander Jannaeus, c. 103-70 BC. was a detestable individual. Anepigraphic widow's mite with the star and anchor. It's a bit rough, but you can see it clearly enough in hand. Feel free to post your nice examples.
Much of this information was provided to me by a couple CCF members sharing their knowledge, I should credit them here. Thank you Finn235 and Paul Bulgerin CCF members. Who also supplied information and raw images which I have re-worked. I wouldn't know anything about them if it were not for their generosity and time taken to help make these more interesting.
Nice pick-up, @TheNickelGuy. You can see the flan extension from the mold on one side of your coin also. Bronze prutah of Alexander Jannaeus (103 - 76 BC). 2.84 gm, 17 mm Anchor surrounded by Greek inscription AΛEΞANΔPO[Y] BAΣIΛEΩΣ (' of King Alexander'). / Eight pointed star within diadem; between the rays, paleo-Hebrew inscription ' Yehonatan the King'.
I have a couple of scruffy widow's mites in my collection--scruffy mites, not scruffy widows--but I know nothing about Alexander Jannaeus. What makes him so detestable?
Here is a lepton of Alexander Jannaeus - it is very tiny, a lepton being a half prutah (note @Carl Wilmont example is 2.84 grams - this one 0.63). This is a confusing series, at least I get confused, but FORVM has a lot of information on these, as quoted below: Judaea, Hasmonian Kingdom Alexander Jannaeus Æ Lepton n.d. (c. 95-76 B.C.) Jerusalem Mint Paleo-Hebrew between 8-ray star ("priest the king")/ BAΣIΛEΩ[Σ AΛEΞANΔPO]Y, around inverted anchor. Hendin 1151 (see notes). (0.63 grams / 13 x 11 mm) eBay Jan. 2021 Attribution Note: Note: "The Paleo-Hebrew inscription and monogram are often obscure. Hendin 1151 type can usually be identified by the style of the anchor and the epigraphy of the Greek inscription. However, Meshorer TJC K13 is identified as this style but with the Yehonatan inscription, making attribution purely by style uncertain. The inscription was apparently a short-lived attempt at propaganda to refute the Pharisees' claims that the Hasmoneans were priests and therefore not from David's line and thus usurpers of the crown. Note: David Hendin now identifies all examples of these star anchor types as prutot, but we still identify the following smaller coins (Hendin 1152 and 1153) as lepta. The Pseudo-Aramaic-Hebrew inscription read counterclockwise as follows: L (for) MLK' (King) 'LKS'NDRW' (Alexander) SNT (year) KH (25) - HK TNS 'WRN'SKL' 'KLM L - L MLK' 'LKS'NDRW' SNT KH - le melek Aleksandro *** Widow's Mites of Mark 12:41-44 41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, together worth less than a penny. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on." Because the lepton (plural: lepta) and prutah (plural: prutot) were the lowest denomination coins that circulated in Jerusalem during Christ's lifetime, they are believed to be the coins referred to in the Biblical story of the poor widow. Although any type of Judean lepta or prutot could have been donated by the poor widow, when you buy a "widow's mite" you will most like receive a star and anchor type lepton struck by Alexander Jannaeus (Yehonatan), the Hasmonean King of Judaea from 103 to 76 B.C. The lepta of Alexander Jannaeus are the most common and lowest cost possible "widow's mite" type. Although these coins were minted long before Christ's lifetime, they were still in circulation in the first century A.D. The actual size of a prutah is less than 1/2 inch in diameter. A lepton is usually about the same diameter as a pencil eraser. Since the lepton is the very smallest denomination, it is more likely the true "widow's mite." Lepta were often carelessly and crudely struck, usually off center and on small flans. Because they circulated for a long period, they are most often very worn and legends are usually illegible." https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Widows Mite As for Alexander Jannaeus not being a nice guy: "Jannaeus had brought the surviving rebels back to Jerusalem where he had eight hundred Jews, primarily Pharisees, crucified. Before their deaths, Alexander had the rebels' wives and children executed before their eyes as Jannaeus ate with his concubines. Alexander later returned the land he had seized in Moab and Galaaditis from the Nabataeans in order to have them end their support for the Jewish rebels. The remaining rebels who numbered eight thousand, fled by night in fear of Alexander. Afterward, all rebel hostility ceased and Alexander's reign continued undisturbed." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Jannaeus
HASMONEAN KINGDOM ALEXANDER JANNAEUS (YEHONATAN), 103 – 76 B.C.E. 1. BCH #469. AE Prutah. Obv. Anchor. BAEIAEQE AEEANAPOY Rev. Star of eight rays surmounted by diadem, between the rays.
Well, the original Greek of the text says "two lepta." Here's Mark 12:42: καὶ ἐλθοῦσα μία χήρα πτωχὴ ἔβαλεν λεπτὰ δύο, ὅ ἐστιν κοδράντης. I translate this as "and one poor widow came and threw in two lepta, which is a quadrans."
