Prutah - Alexander Jannaeus

Alexander Jannaeus ruled as both king and high priest of Judea, and his coinage reflects the political tightrope he walked between Hellenistic ambition and Jewish religious law. The anchor-and-star type prutot — the most prolific of his issues — were struck in such quantities that they remain the single most commonly encountered ancient Jewish coin on the market today. His 27-year reign saw near-constant warfare, a civil war that cost tens of thousands of lives, and a brief period where Pharisee opposition was so fierce he reportedly crucified 800 opponents at a single banquet.

Many surviving examples show significant die wear and off-center strikes, a predictable consequence of mass production under a mint prioritizing volume over precision.