Judaea: bronze leptons of Alexander Jannaeus, ca. 103-76 BC (the biblical "Widow's mite")

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ALEXANDER JANNEAEUS


Judaea Alexander Janneaeus 103-76 BCE AE Prutah Wheel Widows Mite

 

I am bringing this thread back because I just got a lepton - NOT a prutah (I think) - of Alexander Jannaeus and I am experiencing some confusion nailing down an attribution.

The only photo I have is the seller's and they are not very clear, but here are the features that are pertinent:

Size: This is clearly a lepton (half prutah), from what I have read, based on its size (0.63 grams / 13 x 11 mm)

Wheel / Star Side: Paleo-Hebrew (or Aramaic? I see it described both ways) between the spokes/rays. Solid circle around

Anchor Side: NO GREEK DATE on anchor points (so NOT Hendin 1152). In Greek: BAΣIΛEΩ[Σ AΛEΞANΔPO]Y, border of dots.

Style: I bought this because it was cheap, and compared to so many of these, it is really well-struck with, well-defined Hebrew letters between the rays of the stars - the Greek inscription is rendered nicely as well. To top it off, it has what almost looks like a smooth, glossy Tiber patina. Being off-center is its big flaw, of course.



What is confusing me is the attribution - this looks exactly like a prutah, Hendin 1150 - all the elements match except the size. But Hendin 1151 has a "refined style" with Paleo-Hebrew between rays, and is usually less than 1.00 gram (see below). So that matches as well.

Finding these that are as small as mine has been difficult, and acsearch has not been very helpful - the terms prutah/lepton are used pretty loosely in the auctions.

Wildwinds has two examples of a lepton, "Hendin 472"! I think this might be an error? In any case they don't look much like mine. Very confusing.

FORVM has a great, but complicated page on these, relevant bits below - with Hendin not distinguishing between lepton/prutah:

"Hendin 1151 - Different Paleo-Hebrew Inscription and ? Between Rays /More Refined Greek Epigraphy and Anchor Style, Usually Less Than 1.00 g."

Lepta
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.

Hendin 1152
Bronze lepton (half prutah), Hendin 1152 (471), Meshorer TJC L, Meshorer AJC C, Jerusalem mint, 78 - 76 B.C., 1.3g, 14mm; obverse ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ

ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ (of King Alexander), anchor upside-down in circle, L KE (= year 25) near anchor points; reverse Paleo-Hebrew inscription, King Alexander Year 25, star of eight rays surrounded by diadem of dots."

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Widows Mite​

I know there are some real "widow's mite" experts out there, so please help a fella out!

Note: I do understand the distinction between lepton/prutah may not have been made in ancient Judaea - I am just hoping for a valid modern attribution and/or correction. Thanks!

 

Random thoughts.

Back in the 90s, a well-known Kentucky dealer had an enormous hoard (reportedly hundreds of thousands) of Jannaeus prutot. At shows, I was able to sift through quite a number of them and it is my impression that flan size (mass) varies quite a bit among coins that are otherwise identical.

The biblical account of the Widow's offering in the Gospel of Mark (12:42) states in the Greek λεπτὰ δύο, ὅ ἐστιν κοδράντης "two lepta, which is a quadrans". The King James translates this phrase as "two mites, which make a farthing".

I wonder whether there are really two separate denominations or only one, consisting of earlier, larger, finer coins and later, smaller, cruder coins?

 

Thank you for your input - I think that is a good question - there may not have been two separate denominations. This I say because reading around online there does not seem to be any real evidence for two denominations. Or for one big sloppy single denomination either! Who knows?

There does seem to be a 2 to 1.5 gram range and then a 1 to 0.5 gram range, which does support the 2 lepta = 1 prutah theory. But there is a lot of variance. But ancient AEs in general are not very consistent (perhaps indicating more of a token coinage approach to base metal).

The stylistic variations were interesting - I am 24 hours into Alexander Jannaeus research, so I am very far from knowing much. But some of his little AEs are really quite nicely-rendered (I think mine qualifies for this - I think Alegandron's above is also one of the nicer ones). The lettering for such a tiny coin can be exquisite.

 

I was AWOL from the Ancients Forum when this was originally posted. Great thread and great discussion by: @lordmarcovan , Marsyas Mike , dltsrq , and @Alegandron.

There are a lot of coins that are marketed as a “Widow's Mites.” In my not an expert opinion. The candidate for “Widow’s Mite” among Biblical collectors is the Lepton which is Hendin 1153. I realize that the descriptions of coins in the Bible are very general.

The difference between the prutah and the lepton again in my not an expert opinion can be noted in the lettering within the star and the anchor devices. The prutah has lettering within the star and the lepton does not. The anchor side of the prutah has circumferential lettering surrounding the anchor. The lepton has a heavy ring around the anchor and circumferential lettering on the outside. The size and weight are considerably different (although there is much variance between coins.)

I think that the folks who first promoted this particular coin as the Widow’s Mite, selected the Jannaeus coin because the star and the anchor are both Christian images. The star being a symbol of birth or rebirth and the anchor as a symbol of hope.

 

Thank you Deacon Ray - I appreciate the input. Your observations are in agreement with much of the stuff I've been reading on FORVM and elsewhere.

Although you modestly claim not to be an expert, you know a lot more than I do about these!

 

Cool coin and thread LordM!
My only mite has some kind of weird shield on it

Judaea. Mint in Samaria (Sebaste?). Herodians. Herod I (the Great) 40-4 BCE.
Four Prutot Æ
Macedonian shield with decorated rim / BAΣIΛEΩΣ HPΩΔOY L Γ, crested helmet.
20 mm., 3.81 g.
fine. Ex: Savoca

 

That is very unusual. I've stared at a lot of these over the past couple of days and it resembles nothing I've seen. Some kind of overstrike? Whatever it is, it is interesting.

 

LOL! I almost spilled my coffee! Yeh, that's a "mighty" big mite! I'll trade you four equally worn real mites for that big old ugly shield. ;-)

I feel sure your example IS indeed Hendin_1151. And it's a great example because of the ability to actually read several of the tiny Paleo-Hebrew letters. I prefer the 1151 type over the 1150 due to the additional inclusion of the word 'priest' which (imo) adds numismatic, religious, and historic interest.

To quickly distinguish a 1151 from a 1150, look for the combination of (a) low weight -- usually less than 1.25 gr., with (b) a thin/slender anchor. The two types are often confused and therefore mis-attributed.

Here are four of the 1151 type which I either currently own, or have owned and sold:

 

Thank you for the info - and, wow, what an attractive selection of this type you have/had. They are lovely examples.

I agree with you on the attractiveness and interest of the type. According to FORVM linked above the word "priest" indicates:

"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."

 

At a coin show some years ago a seller had a widow's mite "pick bin" of about 100 examples for $20 each. I quickly rifled through them and within a few minutes had pulled out just the ones with the characteristic slender anchor. I walked away having cherry-picked 3 nice 1151 examples. The dealer kindly offered me a 3-for-$50 deal. I caved and accepted. ;-D

FWIW: The relative coin valuations in Hendin's GBC 5th edition show the same for the 1150 and the 1151. But, the 1151 type tends to sell at a premium -- which to me is both understandable and worth it.

 

That’s one of my favorites.

 

Here's another one of those strange shield & helmet mighty "mites" that have pushed their way into this thread:


Judaea, Herodian Kingdom. Herod I (The Great). 40 BC – 4 AD. Æ 4-Prutot (5.08 g). Uncertain mint in Samaria (perhaps Sebaste), RY 3 (40/39 as Tetrarch of Samaria or 38/7 BCE as King of Judaea*). Macedonian shield with decorated rim. / BAΣIΛEΩΣ HPΩΔOY (of King Herod); crested helmet with cheek protection flanked by date LΓ (year 3)and monogram TP. Dotted border on both sides. Hendin 1170; TJC 45; Meshorer 45. Earthen green desert patina.

*Herod was appointed Tetrarch of Samaria in 42 BC by Mark Antony, and King of Judaea in 40 BC by the Roman Senate with approval of Octavian.

 

But this 8-Protot coin was Herod's largest, equivalent to 16 lepta (if the estimation by some scholars of 1 lepton being equal to 1/2 prutah is accurate):


Judaea, Herodian Kingdom. Herod I (the Great). 40 BC - 4 AD. Æ 8-Prutot (24mm/6.8g). Samarian mint. Dated RY 3 (40/39 or 38/7 BC). Tripod with lebes; L Γ (date) to left, monogram to right / Military helmet with cheek guards surmounted by star; palm branches above. Meshorer 44; Hendin 1169.

 

I am not a fan of these at all but there was something about this one that spoke to me. Frank Robinson 1995.

 

Very interesting coin, @dougsmit! I've never seen a rectangular example of this type before. Do you think it was hammered and cut from a straight bronze strip (vs from a molded strip with round flans connected side by side or with short extensions), or just struck on a piece of scrap material? I have several of these (Hendin 1150)- all with a circular or somewhat roundish shape. I like the multi-colored patina on this one:

 

We've seen the lepton, the prutah, the mysterious rising of a trio of fours, and even the mighty eight rolled in for a solo performance. At this point it seems fitting to have the whole denominational gang here, so I'll dare to do the two, too!

Judea, Herodian, Herod I the Great, King
Double Prutah (2-Prutot)
Obv.: HPΩΔOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ around the edge from bottom left running clockwise; cross within a closed diadem in the center.
Rev.: Temple tripod table topped with shewbread or a cultic vessel, flanked by a palm branch on each side of the table.
Diam.: 19 mm. Weight: 2.8b gr.
Attribution: GBC 5th ed. Hendin 1178. TJC 48. AJC 7. RPC I 4905.
Die Study match: Ariel & Fontanille, The Coins of Herod, plate 37, O9-R35.
(Ex: Sahar)