Double cornucopiae with Hebrew (Mattatayah the High Priest and Council of the Jews), around and between horns / Ivy wreath tied at top with ribbons hanging down; BACIL/ANTIGO/NOU (of King Antigonus). 25mm, 14.72 grams. Meshorer type U; Hendin 481. SKU T1991-53112

This issue is usually extremely crude, struck with worn broken dies on crude cast flans. These coins were produced under emergency and the quality was usually very low. This example is of exceptional condition for these.

Antigonus the Hasmonean (died 37 BCE) was the last Hasmonean king of Judea. A puppet king installed by the Parthians, he was the son of King Aristobulus II of Judea. In 37 BCE Herod handed him over to the Romans for execution, after Antigonus's three-year reign during which he led the Jews' fierce struggle for independence against the Romans.