Necessary Addition to my Biblical Collection

This coin was on my ‘White Whale’ list.
I wish to thank @David Atherton for using that term in one of his posts. I’d never heard it before and I think it’s great. Anyway, I know that other CoinTalk members have posted this coin in the past and I don’t wish to create a heated discussion about anyone’s belief or disbelief in it’s legend of symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem. Of course you can post or say whatever you like. I personally believe in the legend but I’m not going to try to force my belief on any members of this forum. My belief in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit comes from a personal experience that changed my life ten years ago. I’ll leave it at that. I don’t care what you believe or don’t believe and I don’t care whether you’re Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Wiccan, Agnostic, or Atheist. I’m here to acquire and share knowledge of ancient coins. You’re my CoinTalk ancients friends and I value our camaraderie!

 

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Congrats! What a candy coin (and poster, as usual...)!!

 

FANTASTIC coin and presentation @Deacon Ray ! Nice! What a wonderful catch!

I used to call major product launches (ones that brought in HUGE profits within the first year) "WHALES" and gave Whale Awards. Never defined them as 'White Whales", but that is a cool connotation.

 

Wow!!! I'm right there with you, dude.

Deacon Ray, that coin is awesome!

I love the Biblical connection and really hope to add this to my collection as well.

Thanks for finding all of these cool coins and presenting them in such a boss fashion.

Erin

 

Nice
SYRIA, Seleucis and Pieria. Antioch. Pseudo-autonomous. under Hadrian Trichalkon. 128-29 AD Ram Γ above
Reference.
RPC 3, 3732; McAlee 125c; BMC 102; SNG Copenhagen 117.

Obv: ANTIOXЄωN THC MHTPOΠOΛЄωC.
Turreted, veiled and draped bust of Tyche right.

Rev: ЄT ZOP (date) below.

Ram leaping right, head left; star within crescent and in field, l., Γ

4.87 gr
17 mm
12h

 

I like coins with astronomical themes as my other hobby is amateur astronomy, I spend clear nights out with my scopes gazing up at the heavens. So far I have several coins with stars on them, and of course, I want to purchase a DIVVS JVLIVS denarius with the comet on the reverse. Great presentation of a fine coin @Deacon Ray

 

Thank you, ancient coin hunter! Awesome hobby! We owe a lot of gratitude to amateur astronomers for their discoveries.

 

Amazing coin, Okidoki! I’m going to have read more about the crescent and star symbol on the coin and it’s connection to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

 

What a singularly interesting coin about which I know absolutely nothing.

Presumably calling a wanted coin a "White Whale" is meant to recall the obsession of Captain Ahab over "getting" Moby Dick and the single-minded wanting that Ishmael derived from that.

Be that as it may, may I suggest that in your writeup of the coin you include a few snippets about the association with the star of Bethlehem and some notes on the alternatives?


Okidoki, may I suggest that the image you are calling "star and crescent" on your coin is actually the more familiar "crescent and seven stars" motif? One of the stars is in the mouth of the ram and the other 6 are dispersed in two rows outward from there.

Here it is on a denarius of Julia Domna:

 

Michael R. Molnar:

 

My only coin with a star is this coin from the holy land. I don't know if this is actually supposed to be a star?



AE PRUTAH OF ALEXANDER JANNAEUS, 103-76 BC

O: Anchor with Greek Legend. R: Stellate pattern with Paleo-Hebrew inscription. 2.1 g, 15 mm.

 

Yes, that’s it! A coin that catches your eye and you don’t give much thought to at first. Then it occurs to you later that it’s a type that you would like to add to your collection. Then when you go back to the dealer you discover that he has sold it. That's when the obsession begins—LOL

Beautiful and fascinating Julia, Irbguy! Thanks for posting her!

 

Nice coin, congrats!

 

This Hadrian denarius is star and crescent. The dot is a centration remnant and not design.

What means 4 stars? Septimius from Nikopolis

 

I recently read

I recently read a paper(might be able to link it here for those interested) where the familiar stars and crescent may actually also refer to a total eclipse of the sun which the article claims happened a couple times over Rome during the Reign of Hadrian who issues a lot of these coins. Planets and bright stars appear around the lunar disc during totality and were VERY awe inspiring as it it still is. If anyone is interested in some back-up info on "the star of Bethlehem" from the Hebrew/Torah tradition there is some good info available that does tie into to these incredible rulers and personalities appearing during those years. Also lot of connections with the Dioscuri who were revered all over the globe.

 

A terrific coin, certainly worthy of 'white whale' status! I also like how you included photos of the paper envelopes. Congrats!

 

I'm glad you found one @Deacon Ray, keep it up!

Seleukis/Pieria under Roman rule
AE 20
Year 44, 13/14 AD
Obvs: Laureate head of Zeus right.
Revs: EΠIΣIΛANOY † ANTIOXEΩN, Ram running r. looking back. Star above, Δ M below.
20mm, 7.37g

 

You guys might be interested in this book, which I have and recommend:

 

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1991QJRAS..32..389H