Posted on 08/11/2010 5:21:36 PM PDT by BlackVeil
Archaeologists say they have uncovered the heaviest and most valuable gold coin ever found in Israel. The 2,200-year-old coin weighs an ounce (28 grams) and was found at the Tel Kedesh site near the Lebanon border on June 22, according to Wednesday's statement from the antiquities authority.
It said this coin is six times the weight of most others from that era.
Donald Ariel, head of the antiquities authority coin department, said the coin dates back to the rule of the Iraq-based Seleucid Empire, though it was minted by the rival Egyptian Ptolemies.
Ariel said the coin's image may represent Cleopatra I, wife of Ptolemy V. It is only the second gold Ptolemaic coin ever found in Israel. The first weighed just two grams (0.07 ounces).
So is this what they looked like before they were “shaved” to make more coins?
When will they find an ancient Palestinian coin?
The second Tuesday next week.
I wonder who "owns" it, and how much it's worth.
I guess if it was minted by the rulers of Egypt it belongs to Egypt. I suppose the Israelis will send it to Egypt about the same time the British send the Elgin marbles back to Greece and the Russians send Priam’s treasure to Turkey.
Here I wasn't even thinking about which country owned it. I was wondering if an individual could lay claim to it. I suppose the salvage rights on land are much different than they are in the open sea. You're probably right, Egypt owns it.
Cue the Goldline ad in 3..2..1...
You must admit ... they can fairly say that this is a product which lasts.
The thing about ancient gold coins is they tend to be in really good shape when they are found (they don’t rust)...or so I’ve been told, I’ve never owned one.
Considering that Alexander the Great had conquered Egypt in 332 B.C., the ruler of Egypt in 190 B.C,. would have been Ptolemy V Epiphanes ,a descendant of a body guard of Alexander the great, the Greek leader.Ptolemy V Epiphanes also figures prominently in the book of Maccabees. If the coin proves anything, then the land belongs to Greece.
Good - I was wondering where I had dropped it. I will send them my address so they can return it to me.
I’m not very good at this sort of thing but I’d say the engraving at the top of the “tails” side looks like Arabic. Can anyone confirm? Can anyone read any of the inscriptions?
Isn’t that G.Gordon Liddy’s hand?
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Thanks GeronL.So is this what they looked like before they were "shaved" to make more coins?This one is kind of an oddity anyway, probably didn't circulate for long if at all. And you're right, besides outright counterfeiting (which was sometimes so sophisticated, they looked more authentic than legal coins), which still required some gold for the exterior, probably most of the gold coins minted in ancient times were reminted in ancient times by parties both real and faux. |
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I got stuck at “telephone support”. lol.
;’)
So what are the odds that a 2,200 year old coin weighs 1 Oz Avoirdupois?
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