Rare Menorah Coin and Unique Ashkelon Tetradrachm Returned to Israel
An ancient coin, depicting the seven-branched menorah that stood in the temple in Jerusalem, along with another rare coin from Ashkelon—the second of its kind known in the world—were returned to Israel this week during an official ceremony in New York City.
The return followed what authorities described as a complex international operation by the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Theft Prevention Unit, working in cooperation with the Antiquities Trafficking Unit at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and Homeland Security officials.
The coins were minted in the ancient Mediterranean port city of Ashkelon and in Hasmonean-period Jerusalem. Looters had taken the coins from the soil and smuggled them out of Israel.
The coins were recently offered for sale in an auction house in the United States. Information about the coins was passed on by IAA inspectors to the United States’ authorities. After a complex but rapid joint investigation into the auction houses and the sellers, the coins were confiscated and returned to Israel.
The first recovered coin is a small bronze prutah, minted during the reign of the last Hasmonean king, Mattathias Antigonus, who ruled in Jerusalem from 40 to 37 b.c.e.
A seven-branched menorah—one of the earliest artistic depictions of the menorah ever found—was minted on one side of the coin. The other side portrays the showbread table, which is another sacred object used in the temple.
The decision to display such distinctly Jewish symbols on the coins reflects the unique struggle against the Romans and their influence. The coins likely were a way for King Antigonus to rally support against his rival Herod.
In a 2022 interview, numismatics expert Dr. Yoav Farhi told the Armstrong Institute that “coins are very symbolic.” Often, they represent more than just commerce but also national identity. Leaders would print their face or motto onto the coins in an effort to remind subjects about their influence. The motifs and imagery on coins were often chosen for deliberate and symbolic reasons.
This rare coin has survived as a representation of the last coinage of Hasmonean independence and has been defined as a nationally important artifact; hence, it is prohibited from leaving Israel.
The second coin returned from looters is a silver tetradrachm (high-value silver coin) from the Persian period, more than 2,500 years ago. It is one of the rarest coins ever minted in Israel, with only one other known example.
The press release explains how “one side depicts the helmeted goddess Athena, and on the other side, an owl facing, spreading its wings. Above the owl in the upper right corner appear the letters aleph and nun in Phoenician script—an abbreviation for the name of its mint ‘Ascalon,’ the first and last letters of the city’s name.”
Like other early coins from the region, it offers a snapshot of a world in transition—when commerce, imperial influence and local identity were all being struck into silver.
You can read more about coin discoveries here and why minting such coins was important to the Jewish people throughout history.
According to Ilan Hadad, inspector in charge of antiquities commerce in the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Theft Prevention Unit, “The illegal trade in antiquities is a distressing international phenomenon, which constitutes an economic engine promoting antiquities looting and untold damage to cultural heritage assets. For the sake of money, thousands-of-years-old antiquities from the State of Israel are looted, smuggled and sold abroad. Inspectors of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Theft Prevention Unit are fighting this phenomenon in order to preserve and protect the historical heritage of the State of Israel.”
Dr. Eitan Klein, deputy director of the Antiquities Theft Prevention Unit, represented Israel at the repatriation ceremony of these ancient objects. He said: “The illegal trade in looted antiquities is a widespread international phenomenon, which requires cooperation between countries and enforcement agencies around the world. The Israel Antiquities Authority is at the forefront of the struggle to protect and preserve the unique cultural heritage assets of the State of Israel and conducts extensive international cooperation in this field around the world. The cooperation with our counterparts in the United States is exceptional in its scope and quality, and made this success possible, along with many other successes in the fight against the illegal antiquities trade.”
“Israel and the United States are working shoulder to shoulder, not only in the security arena but also to bring home our historical story,” said Israel’s minister of Heritage, Rabbi Amihai Eliyahu.