Found in the cashbox

[Herb]

Having a (rock shop) business and charging sales tax brings a lot of pennies into the cash register. That's where I found this coin (if it is one). Somebody must have given it to us as a penny.
It is 18 - 20 mm wide and weights 6 grams. Appears to be copper.
I don't know anything about ancient coins and I also don't know if this is a real coin.
Can anyone help me with that ?
Herb

[archivum]

Looks like a reproduction of a Bar Kochba coin from the Judaean Revolt 134-135 AD.

[Herb]

Thanks Archivum. Question: Why would somebody reproduce a coin like this?
It didn't look that shiny when my wife found it. She cleaned it with a brush and household cleaner.
The surface looks eroded and the "fruitstand" shows wear.
Whatever, I didn't expected a great find or a real coin. I was just curious.
Herb

[black-prophet]

Herb you wouldn't by chance be in South Carolina ? There was a similar story discussed here last September.Here is the link.https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=31199.0.I believe someone is having some fun with the merchants in the area if this is the case.

[Herb]

No, I'm in SW Florida, little town named Englewood.
What sense would it make to pay with something like that to save a penny???
The copper should be worth more than that.
Fun would it be only if you recognize it and think you got somethink valuable.
This thing was just in the drawer and nobody seems to have seen it before. You can take my word for it.
Herb

[Herb]

So I went to that link. The womens coin, the one posted by Howard Cole and mine look identical. like casted, not struck.
If somebody wanted to make a joke he should have spread them all over the country.
The whole case makes no sense, What is he (or she) gaining?
I will keep mine as an interesting piece of metal.
Thanks for the help
Herb

[black-prophet]

I believe you Herb, I just don't think someone used it to save a penny.I think someone has possibly put a number of these into circulation just to see what would happen,for the fun of it.It doesn't have to make economic sense just has to make comedic sense for the person doing it.One of the coins already got some notice in the local news and the AP picked up the story as well.You had the good sense to inquire here first, but what if you hadn't and went instead to a coin dealer who had no knowledge of ancients?Maybe he would have passed the story onto the newspaper or local TV station.This would be more press for the prankster and well worth the small sum he paid for the coins ,at least to him.Hell I've paid friends $20 bucks to do some really stupid things and it was worth every penny and it never made the news...except that one time .

[Howard Cole]

Hi Herb,

A lot of these are made a souvenirs for different events or places that people travel to.  Some are made as promotions for different products.  You buy the product or subscribe to a magazine and they give you a great set of reproductions (most people think the real thing is impossible to own).

Why do people put it in to circulation?  Who knows?  For the fun of it, to see a person reaction if they discover it when it is handed to them, or maybe they didn't realize it was not a penny.  I have gotten a lot of Canadian and Mexican coins that way. 

When I get back to the States, I plan on spreading my unidentified and culls around so that some future archaeologist gets real confused.

[Jay G]

It is not a copy of a Bar Kokhba coin as the orthography is incorrect, and the Hebrew letters are modern and would not have been used in this form in the second century. For example the word JERUSALEM is mispelled on one side by the palm and the legends by the grapes are incomplete.

It is representative of a Bar Kokhba piece but that is about as close as it gets.

[Robert_Brenchley]

It's a tourist piece which I suppose would have resonances for modern Zionists.

[slokind]

It seemed slightly impertinent, but I, too, thought of hotels and of placing these on your pillow instead of chocolate, or at your place at breakfast, perhaps.  There would be no question of deception.  Just as Robert says.  Pat L.

[Jay G]

I personally don't think the coin resonates with anyone Zionist or not. It's a poor example of a poor example likely made by someone who was ignorant of ancient, let along modern Hebrew epigraphy.

[basemetal]

As I've stated before,  I have no proof, but I'm betting across the US at least,  late roman bronzes/copper  show up in cash register drawers more often than we may suspect.  The average cashier (not a denigration, I was one part-time in school) would look, puzzle a few minutes over the coin,  and though any of us might, would not take the trouble to ever have it attributed.
As more of these coins become available, I'm betting it will be more common.
I myself must confess, I've put a few small groups of worn 3rd century coins in the sand at a couple of North Carolina beaches just to add a bit of excitement to the day of those early-bird metal detectorists
that hit the beach before dawn.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I personally don't think the coin resonates with anyone Zionist or not. It's a poor example of a poor example likely made by someone who was ignorant of ancient, let along modern Hebrew epigraphy.

Someone must buy these as I've seen them repeatedly. I think there's every reason to suppose that a theme of heroic Jews standing up to big bully nations is likely to be popular in some circles!