Silver quarter shekel from Great Revolt returned to Israel

RECOVERED: U.S. Returns Rare Coin Minted by Jews During Rebellion From Rome. The silver quarter shekel, estimated to be worth as much as $1 million, was minted in the first century by Jews who created it as a statement of sovereignty during the uprising known as The Great Revolt (Tom Mashberg and Graham Bowley, New York Times).

American investigators returned a rare silver coin to Israel on Monday that they say was minted as a marker of independence during the Great Revolt against Roman oppression of A.D. 66-73 and centuries later was looted from an archaeological site in the Valley of Elah.

The coin was seized in 2017 when collectors tried to sell it at an auction in Denver, where it was listed as having an estimated value between $500,000 and $1 million. But it did not clear the legal hurdles to be returned to Israel until this summer.

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If you can't get past the NYT subscription wall, the story is also covered in the Denver Post: A 2,000-year-old coin, looted from Israel, was up for auction in Denver. Now it’s headed home. The silver shekel, valued at $1 million, dates to A.D. 69 (Sam Tabachnik).

Cross-file under Numismatics.

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