Hello everyone and happy new year! This is my first post here at Coin Talk. Back in September, my wife and I took a trip to Israel. While there, I bought this silver shekel. After getting back home, I found out the store I bought it at has a terrible rating on Trip Adviser. Now, I'm having doubts to its authenticity. I'd love to get your opinions. I had it weighed and it came to 13.2 grams. What do you look for to determine if its real or a fake? I also bought a Roman coin which I'll discuss in a different post. Thank for your comments in advance. Rick
Technically it's a shekel from Tyre but yours is not a temple tax coin. Shekels have Melquart on the obverse with a similar reverse. However the legend would be ΤΥΡΟΥ ΙΕΡΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΣΥΛΟΥ (of Tyre the holy and inviolable). Yours has BAΣIΛEΩΣ (King) but I can't make out which one (would be on the left side, off flan) but probably Demetrios. It would be more accurate to call it a tetradrachm minted in Tyre. Similar to this one, but different control and year Marks https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=6509099
I have a coin with a similar reverse from Tyre: PTOLEMY II PHILADELPHOS AR Tetradrachm OBVERSE: Diademed head of Ptolemy II right, wearing aegis around neck REVERSE: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ [ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ], eagle standing left on thunderbolt, to left, club surmounted by Tyre monogram Tyre 285-260 BC 25 mm., 14.14 grams Svoronos 644; SNG Copenhagen 482-3 ex. JAZ Numismatics
Looks real, as far as I can tell from these pictures. Jay GT4 is right, it is not 'biblical' autonomous issue, but earlier Seleucid, typically they go for $150 - $200 in this condition on ebay.
Please forgive my lack of knowledge, but what is "spcheal"? I posted the two coins separately to help avoid confusion when talking about them. Once I know what "spcheal" is, I'll try to avoid it the next time I post. Rick
I assume that @ominus1 meant "shpiel", a Yiddish word coming from German "Spiel" (game, play, match) and frequently used to describe a sales pitch or other type of (sometimes fraudulently) persuasive speech or performance. We unfortunately sometimes see trolls in this forum who, for example, post fake coins, often in connection with some adventurous story. The motive behind this presumably is either getting attention or testing whether their forgeries are convincing. Some forum members therefore react a bit cautiously when new members post authenticity questions. Certainly, no offense was meant.
You have a tetradrachm of Antiochus VII, Tyre mint, Year 187 (136/5 BC). it’s not a shekel of Tyre. Barry Murphy
