As I am interested in both history & numismatics,I have managed to pick up 3 ancient Judean coins in my time.Here's some descriptions of the 3 pieces; A copper coin (Prutah?) of Pontius Pilatius (better known as Pontius Pilate).Interestingly,there is a date - Yr. 16,which corresponds to 29/30 AD,which is the time that the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ was supposed to have taken place.The obverse has a simpulum (small ladle),& the reverse has 3 ears of barley bound together. The next coin is the Prutah of King Alexander Jannaeus.See 'Coins that are mentioned in the Bible' for the details. The other coin is a Prutah of King John Hyrcanus II (reigned 67 & 63-40 BC).This has 2 cornucopiae & a pomegranate on the obverse,& a Hebrew legend on the reverse. I cannot scan these coins,as I am borrowing a computer. I can guess why objects are depicted on ancient Judean coins.I believe that the ancient Jewish religion forbade the depiction of a human figure or a portrait on a coin,so a symbol of the Judean King was depicted instead to comply with this custom.
How many did you examine and from how many different sources before you decided to buy these? I once attributed a hoard of 250 for a dealer who had bought them out of a much larger lot from another dealer. I used Hendin and Meshorer, of course. Christians have been chasing them since the crusades. Jews have been buying them for at least 100 years. It might be that we have no idea what a genuine Prutah looks like.
