Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Prutah or Token - Alexander Jannaeus
| Issuer | Judea |
|---|---|
| Year | 104 BC - 76 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Prutah |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Hebrew |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A stylized anchor depicted inverted at center, enclosed within a single circle. A partial and degenerate Greek legend surrounds the circle, intended to read 'BASILEOS ALEXANDROU' (of King Alexander), though the inscription is frequently garbled, incomplete, or poorly formed due to the crude die work. The anchor type follows the Seleucid royal symbol adopted by Alexander Jannaeus to underscore his Hellenistic royal pretensions. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Alexander Jannaeus ruled as both king and high priest of the Hasmonean kingdom, and his coinage reflects the political tensions of that dual role. His reign was marked by brutal civil conflict — a six-year revolt by Pharisee factions that reportedly cost 50,000 Jewish lives — and his small bronzes and lead issues circulated through a kingdom nearly torn apart from within. Lead pieces attributed to his reign remain debated: some scholars classify them as tokens rather than official coinage, possibly issued by municipal authorities or merchants working around metal shortages.
Hendin 1154 sits in contested territory between civic token and royal issue. The lead composition alone sets it apart from his more numerous struck bronzes.