Bar Kokhba Year 2 Sela

Struck within seventy years of the destruction of Jerusalem, this coin constitutes one of the most significant witnesses to the end of the Second Temple period, preserving a rare depiction of the Jewish Temple. During the Third Jewish Revolt, Jewish patriots re-struck these imperial Roman coins with mottos of their independence, replacing the iconography of the Roman regent with Jewish patriotic propaganda.

On the front (obverse), a façade of the Second Temple shows a glimpse of the ark of the covenant between two sets of pillars with a star above, representing the holy of holies. The Hebrew inscription reads Yerushalayim, “Jerusalem.” The back (reverse) offers agricultural symbols associated with the harvest festival Sukkot. The Hebrew inscription reads L’Herut Yerushalayim—“For the Freedom of Jerusalem.”

Minted around AD 133. Acquired by Colonel Francois Maurice Allote de La Fuÿe (1844–1939).[1] Purchased at auction in 1925.[2] Acquired by a single private collection, perhaps in Switzerland.[3] Sold at auction in 2004.[4] Purchased at auction in 2016 by Dr. Patrick Tan Collection;[5] Purchased at auction in 2018 by ArtAncient, New York;[6] Purchased in 2018 by Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.

Notes: [1] Colonel Francois Maurice Allote de La Fu was a French military officer, archaeologist, and numismatist. [2] Florange and Ciani, February 17, 1925, lot 1105. [3] The 2004 Morton & Eden sale offered dozens of Jewish coins from the Allotte collection, indicating their presence in London on a non-EU temporary import license. Other coins from the francophone Allotte sale eventually surfaced in Swiss auction houses. [4] Morton & Eden 10, November 23, 2006, lot 646. [5] CNG Triton XIX, January 5, 2016, lot 310. [6] The NewYork Sale Group (Dmitry Markov Coins & Medals, M&M Numismatics Ltd., Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, and Sovereign Rarities, Ltd.) The New York Sale XLII, Ancient Coins featuring The Dionysus Collection of Greek Coins and other important properties, January 9, 2018, lot 285.