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Phoenicia. Tyre, c. 480-425 BC. Silver Dishekel (

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:2,000.00 USD Estimated At:4,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD
Phoenicia. Tyre, c. 480-425 BC. Silver Dishekel (
<Our item number 115707><B>Phoenicia. Tyre, c. 480-425 BC. Silver Dishekel &#40;12.74 g&#41;.</B> Dolphin leaping right over waves comprised of three lines of zigzags; above, inscription in Phoenician characters, &#34;One-thirtieth [of a Mina]&#34;; murex shell at bottom; cable border around. <I>Reverse</I>: Egyptianizing owl right, head facing, crook and flail at shoulder, with incuse outline bordering image, the whole within incuse square. BMC p. 227, 1-2; Jameson 1775. Choice strike on superior metal; the small, shallow inscription wholly visible. Lightly toned. Very rare, more so in this grade and metal. <B>NGC graded Extremely Fine.</B> <BR><BR>It is surprising to many that relatively few ancient coins have their denomination inscribed upon them. One of the reasons is that early coinage was strongly connected to weights; during transactions, they were placed on balance scales, as well as often checked for purity of metal. Bankers&#39; marks and test cuts indicate periods of counterfeit or plated coins &#40;fourrées&#41;. Money-changers, then, were responsible for ascertaining validity, making smaller change and exchanging one city&#39;s coins for another. It is believed that the fees which the bankers received were about five percent of each transaction. <BR>Estimated Value &#36;4,000 - 5,000. <BR><BR>Our item number 115707<BR><IMAGES><P ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://www.goldbergcoins.net/liveauction/47jpegs/115707.jpg"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.goldbergcoins.net/liveauction/47jpegs/115707N2.jpg"> </P></IMAGES>