Double Shekel - Ba'alshallim II Sidon

Ba'alshallim II ruled Sidon as a vassal king under Achaemenid Persian authority, and his coinage reflects that arrangement directly — the double shekel series was struck to pay tribute obligations and finance the city's naval contributions to the Persian fleet. Sidon maintained the largest and most capable Phoenician navy of the period, and large-denomination silver issues like this one circulated primarily at the administrative and military level rather than in everyday commerce.

The .980 fine silver is notably pure for Phoenician civic coinage of the era, consistent with Sidonian access to refined bullion through Levantine trade networks.