Latest news with #coin
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Mysterious coin linked to Jesus' biblical prophecy discovered
Archaeologists have unearthed a 2,000-year-old coin in Jerusalem that was minted shortly before the destruction of the Second Temple, an event Jesus predicted in the Bible. The bronze coin dates to between 69 and 70 AD, just decades after Jesus was crucified, and was made by Jewish rebels during the fourth year of the Great Revolt against the Romans. The revolt, also known as the First Jewish-Roman War, was a major uprising by the Jewish population against Roman rule in Judea, occurring between 66 and 73 AD. Because the coin was minted right before the Temple's destruction, it comes from the exact period when Jerusalem was under siege. Jesus predicted the Temple's fall in the Gospels, saying that not one stone would be left on another. These passages, found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are seen as foretelling the Temple's destruction by the Romans in 70 AD. The coin itself carries powerful symbolism, with its obverse side bearing an inscription in ancient Hebrew script: 'For the Redemption of Zion,' expressing the rebels' hope during the final months of the uprising. On the reverse is a lulav, a palm frond used in the Sukkot festival, accompanied by two etrogs, the citron fruit also used in the ritual. The Sukkot festival commemorates the Israelites' 40 years of wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. Archaeologists noted: 'It is also possible that the representations of the ritual 'Four Species' depicted on the coin were intended to evoke among the rebels a sense of redemption and anticipation of a hoped-for miracle and happier times.' The Great Revolt occurred in Judea, sparked by religious tensions, heavy taxation, and political oppression under Roman rule. The Jewish rebels initially scored victories but were ultimately overwhelmed by the Roman legions. It ended in 73 CE with the fall of Masada, leaving tens of thousands dead and many others enslaved or exiled. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans as punishment for the Jewish revolt and to eliminate the central symbol of Jewish worship and resistance, placing the coin's minting in the tense months leading up to this pivotal event. The coin was found near the southwest corner of the Temple Mount during excavations led by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). Yanniv David Levy, a researcher and curator in the coin department of the IAA, said: 'The coin is made of bronze, and its state of preservation is quite good. 'On its obverse side, you can see a model of a goblet, and around it is an inscription in ancient Hebrew script: 'LeGe'ulat Zion', 'For the Redemption of Zion.' The coin was found at a monumental fortification discovered by the team last year. Created by extensive quarrying, the moat formed a massive channel separating the City of David from the Temple Mount and the Ophel area. Cliffs on either side made the moat impassable. While its original purpose was uncertain, further excavations and connections with earlier findings revealed it as the northern fortification line of the lower city. 'It is not known when the moat was originally cut, but evidence suggests it was used during the centuries when Jerusalem was the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, almost 3,000 years ago, beginning with King Josiah,' the IAA shared. 'During those years, the moat separated the southern residential part of the city from the ruling Acropolis in the north; the upper city, where the palace and the temple were located.' The IAA explained that creating the moat was a massive, monumental undertaking, designed to reshape the natural landscape and demonstrate the power of Jerusalem's rulers to anyone entering the city. According to researchers, the project required advanced engineering skills and substantial resources, highlighting the strength and authority of the city's leaders. The moat itself is at least 30 feet deep and no less than 100 feet wide.
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rare 50 cent coin sells for $3,050 due to ‘unique' reason
An extremely rare 50 cent coin has sold for more than $3,000 at auction due to a mistake that happened during the minting process. If you spot an error on one of your coins, it could be worth more than its face value to collectors because of its rarity. The 2002 50 cent coin was mistakenly struck on a Samoan Tala coin, which is seven-sided and made out of nickel brass. The coin is thought to be totally 'unique', with no other examples of the error coin seen before. Roxbury's director Scott Waterman, who auctioned off the coin, told Yahoo Finance there was 'nothing similar' to the coin. RELATED Rare 5 cent coin worth 25,000 times its value due to 'double headed' detail Terrifying superannuation reality facing 4.3 million Australians hoping for comfortable retirement Major warning after Aussie receives random $350 payment in her bank account 'It's a different alloy as well, which makes it quite eye-catching. It's very, very unusual that one, unique as I understand it. So anything that is unique is literally there's one of it,' he said. The coin ended up selling at auction for $3,050, after being found in circulation. Waterman said the error was 'pretty crazy' and very 'unusual'. 'The Royal Australian Mint strikes a lot of other countries in the region, their coins as well. So very, very occasionally one will cross over and I think that's what's happened here,' he said. Waterman said error coins were a rare occurrence since decimal currency was introduced by Australia in February 1966, but they still exist. 'Relatively speaking, they're exceptionally rare in Australia compared to other countries and they're very well supported. We see really high prices for good error coins in Australia relative to other countries,' he said. Other coins struck on the wrong die have also fetched more than their face value. A 2000 $1 coin with its obverse struck with a 10 cent die sold at auction for $1,150 in uncirculated condition. This is known as a 'mule coin' where the coin is struck with mismatched dies on the heads and tails. Another of the $1 coins with the heads side struck on a 10 cent die fetched $375 at auction in circulated in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rare 5 cent coin worth 25,000 times its value due to 'double headed' detail
A rare 5 cent coin has sold for thousands more than its face value due to a key 'accident' made during the minting process. Error coins can be very valuable because they are an 'exceptionally rare' occurrence in Australia compared to other countries. The 2007 5 cent coin has a double obverse error, meaning it has the head of Queen Elizabeth on both sides of the coin. The coin went to auction today and was sold by Roxbury's Auction House for $1,250. Roxbury's director Scott Waterman told Yahoo Finance the double header coin was popular among collectors and this is what led to its 'strong price'. RELATED Rare $2 coloured coins Aussies can find in their change Centrelink's 'balancing' move could provide cash boost or expose debt Commonwealth Bank's fresh alert for millions over mass text message 'campaign' 'The fact that it is double heads is really what makes it desirable and valuable,' he said. The error coin was due to an accident by the Royal Australian Mint at the time, with the coins mistakenly released into circulation. The Royal Australian Mint made 59 million 5 cent coins in 2007. While the exact number of double header coins is not unknown, Waterman said, as a guess, there could be 1,500 to 3,000 out there. The 2007 5 cent coins are the most popular example of a double-headed coin. 'You get single coins, occasionally double heads or double tails. But very rarely do you get that many that are released into circulation,' Waterman said. The coin went up for auction along with 2,500 other items, including the Holey Dollar, which is the first coin struck in Australia. It is expected to sell for between $90,000 and $100,000 over the coming days. The Rainbow Pound, which was created during note shortages in World War I, is also up for sale and expected to sell for between $16,000 and $20,000. A total of 32 notes are known to have survived. Error coins can be valuable Waterman said most of the classic rarities were accidents. 'The 1930 Penny, for instance, was an accident. So it's quite often not by design and they're not even aware of it until sometimes 20 years later. In the case of the 1930 Penny, no one knew they existed until the 50s, so that's kind of what makes the legend of it,' he told Yahoo Finance. The 1930 Penny is known as 'the King of Australian Coins' and there are thought to be 1,500 of them in existence. The coin was not meant to be struck as the Melbourne Mint received no orders from the government for new coins during the depression. Waterman said error coins were a rare occurrence since decimal currency was introduced. 'Since decimal currency, they're obviously really good at catching errors but it does happen,' he said. 'Relatively speaking, they're exceptionally rare in Australia compared to other countries and they're very well supported. We see really high prices for good error coins in Australia relative to other countries.'Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Telegraph
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Royal Mint rejects Henry V coin in favour of Pride and Mr Men
The Royal Mint's papers also reveal that the committee blocked plans for a coin to celebrate a national festival after the 2016 EU referendum, dubbed the ' Festival of Brexit ' by Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, then a Cabinet minister. The committee said that 'while there was support in principle for the idea, further research was required into the proposition behind the festival'. At the same meeting, the experts backed a coin celebrating diversity named 'Diversity Britannia'. Other successful proposals included the 40th birthday of the Prince of Wales, then Duke of Cambridge, the 100th anniversary of the death of Alexander Graham Bell and the 100th anniversary of Howard Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. 'Not possible to progress each idea' A Royal Mint spokesman said: 'Each year a wide range of events, themes and anniversaries are submitted for consideration to The Royal Mint Advisory Committee (RMAC). 'The panel carefully examines each proposal and draws up a shortlist of suitable themes to commemorate on a UK coin. 'The purpose of the RMAC is to ensure that the recommended short list of themes reflects the most significant or appropriate events for commemoration and key considerations include 'Britishness', global impact, cultural relevancy and similarity to existing themes. 'With such a rich heritage to draw upon, it is not possible to progress each idea.'
BBC News
08-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
One of a kind 7th Century Anglo-Saxon coin found in Norfolk field
A tiny gold coin which is believed to be the oldest from the Anglo-Saxons in East Anglia has been found in a expert Adrian Marsden described the coin as a "massively significant" find that was struck in the 7th design depicts a man dancing a jig while holding a Christian cross above a symbol linked to the Norse god coin was discovered by a metal detectorist near Norwich in the autumn and Norwich Castle Museum hopes to acquire it. "It's the first one of this type of coin that we've seen and new types of shillings just don't turn up," said Dr Marsden, from the Norfolk Historic Environment Service."It's got this fascinating iconography of a little figure with a long cross - explicitly Christian - over the valknut design, which has pagan roots."Dr Marsden said all the evidence pointed to it being "the earliest Anglo-Saxon East Anglian coin so far known", dating it to AD640 to was struck at a time when pagan beliefs were starting to give way to Christianity, and its design appears to straddle this time of change. Experts associate the design with the god Odin, whose roles in Norse mythology included ferrying the dead to the the 20th Century, the valknut was adopted as a symbol by white supremacists among coin dates back to the same era as the famous Sutton Hoo ship burial, which, as Dr Marsden explained, had a mix of Christian and pagan grave goods. On the reverse of the coin is a design that could be a cross or could be a swastika, then recognised as a good luck symbol, surrounded by an attempt at a Latin Marsden recently published his research in the Searcher."It's plain from looking at the letters that whoever made the die wasn't literate, the letters don't bear much resemblance to Latin - they're garbage really," he revealed the coin was made from a very high gold content, of up to 60%. Dr Marsden also pointed out it was the second coin in Norfolk to benefit from a new treasure definition on "the basis of national significance".The government changed the legal definition of the 1996 Treasure Act two years ago, to try getting more artefacts on public display.A coroner decides if a discovery is treasure and a museum usually gets first refusal over whether to store it. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
