Jonathan K. Kern Inventory

28-29 AD silver half shekel or didrachm of Tyre

Vitae

Date: 28-29 AD

Mint: Tyre

Dimensions: 20mm

Certified by: ICG

Grade: VF35

Obverse

Obverse of 28ad

Laureate head of Melquarth, a local Tyrian version of the Greek Hercules

Reverse

Reverse of 28ad

Eagle on prow of Phoenecian galley, year in very crudely engraved Greek letters typical of the 20 AD to 30 AD period.

Additional Notes

With the name and designs of the Phoenecian/Greek city of Tyre. The coinage of Tyre was known for high quality silver amongst its neighbors, and the priests in the Temple in Jerusalem required the annual dues for every male Jew be paid "in good Tyrian silver" in the amount of this coin. Nevermind that the obverse of the coin showed the face of the pagan deity Melquarth. Many scholars (and I) believe that the mint in Tyre closed about 20 BC because of the huge output of only 80% pure silver from nearby Antioch, which fuelled most of the commerce in the Roman East. To continue compliance with Jewish law, the priests opened their own mint in Jerusalem. This coin is dated to 28-29 AD, in the style which runs continuously from 126 BC to about 55 AD. Perhaps Jesus paid his final temple dues with this very coin.

Cost: $2700