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Hadrian. AD 117-138. AV Aureus (18.5mm, 7.24 g, 6h). Bar Kochba Victory issue. Rome mint. Struck AD 136-137. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, Bareheaded bust right, slight drapery / VICTORI A AVG, Victory, naked to waist, standing left, holding eagle with wreath in beak on right hand and palm frond in left. RIC II.3 2234 (same rev. die as first illustration); Strack 278αο; Beckmann, Gold dies b25/V4, a (this coin); cf. Calicó 1397; BMCRE 768 (same rev. die); cf. Biaggi 665; Jameson –; Mazzini –; CNG 100, lot 1868 (same rev. die). VF. Fine style. Rare.
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Jonathan P. Rosen Collection (Triton XXIII, 14 January 2020), lot 745; Roma XIV (21 September 2017), lot 725; Roma IX (22 March 2015), lot 700.
In AD 132, the Roman Emperor Hadrian proclaimed that Jerusalem would be refounded as a Roman colony with the name Aelia Capitolina, and that a shrine to Jupiter would be built on the ruins of the Great Temple. As in the days of the Maccabees, the Jews of the Holy Land rose in revolt against this intolerable sacrilege, choosing as their leader a ferocious warrior named Simon Ben Kosiba, also known as Simon Bar Kochba (“son of a star”). Rabbi Akiba, spiritual leader of the rebels, proclaimed Bar Kochba as the Messiah who would deliver the Jews from Roman oppression. Several Roman garrisons in the Holy land were overwhelmed and wiped out, and Bar Kochba proclaimed the deliverance of Israel (although it is uncertain whether Jerusalem itself was liberated). However, the Romans massed a huge military force and counterattacked in CE 133. Years of bitter struggle followed, in which as many as a million Jews perished, along with tens of thousands of Romans. The final embers of the revolt died out in CE 135. The coin in our present offering was minted just a year later. Both Strack and Mattingly place this coin as an issue directly related to the Roman victory over the Jews.
This coin is scarce as a type and makes a nice addition to a collection of Bar Kochba types of Jewish coinage minted during this revolt. It is not surprising that in Hadrian’s travel series, issues directly naming Judaea are incredibly rare. This coin type fits nicely into the travel series as an acceptable alternative.
The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 132 lots will be determined at the live online sale that will be held on 18-19 May 2026.
CNG Feature Auction 132 – Session One – Lot 1-318 will be held Monday morning, 18 May 2026 beginning at 9:00 AM ET.
Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.
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