I do not see making new dies as being difficult or unnecessary.
Of course new dies were made.
If Herod could mint silver coins I see no reason why he wouldn't issue it under his own name like his bronze coinage.
If Herod
had struck coins in
his own name, the coins would no longer be shekels of Tyre, which is apparently what was needed or at least desired for the
temple tax. That Herod might consider himself important enough to change the coin used for the
temple tax might have been perceived as more radical, egotistical or abhorrent than striking the currently accepted coin, regardless of the pagan
types. Also, Herod may have received permission from
Augustus to strike shekels of Tyre, but not shekels of Herod or
Judaea. You cannot accept that Jews at this time might strike coins with pagan images in Jerusalem, but I don't find it incredible. I believe both our opinions are impacted by presentism and that our personal incredulity is not evidence.
I don't believe we can attribute the changing of cities of an entire minting operation on poor literary sources, unqualified distribution data, a change in iconographic style and an enigmatic monogram. It just is too far fetched.
Literary sources are clearly lacking but entire dynasties are know only from numismatic evidence. That silver shekels of Tyre continued to be produced under
Roman rule was an unusual exception to the disappearance of silver civic coinage during this time. That in itself is odd enough for me to consider possibilities, regardless of a lack of literary sources.
I think the change in the coinage was more than a change in iconographic
style and an enigmatic
monogram. In the past, it was accepted by many
numismatist that the crudest of the KP shekels were struck by an unofficial
barbaric mint. That seems to indicate others have found a difference more significant than
style. A difference big enough to indicate a different
mint. In my examination of a
hoard of half shekels, I came to the conclusion that the "
barbaric" shekels were not struck at a different
mint but rather were struck with very worn and carelessly re-engraved probably sometimes decades old dies. The question then becomes, where is that one
mint that issued both the better and the
barbaric coins. Despite a profound lack of civic pride, I can accept it might
still be Tyre, but I cannot agree that this numismatic evidence should be dismissed as only a change in iconographic
style and an enigmatic
monogram.
I agree that distribution data could indicate the location of the
mint.
BTW, I would like to mention that if you look at Forum's
shop we attribute the KP coins to "Tyre or Jerusalem
mint." Our historical info says: "At the Great Temple in Jerusalem the annual tax levied was 1/2
shekel per male. The 1/2
shekel and
shekel were the only coins accepted by the temple. Some experts believe that after the coinage of Tyre was debased under
Roman control,
Herod the Great began to strike "Tyre" shekels in Jerusalem. These coins were of cruder
fabric and
style, but maintained the silver purity required to pay the
temple tax. The "Jerusalem" shekels have the letters KP or KAP to the right of the
eagle and dates range from PH (18/17 B.C.) to PKE (69/70 A.D.). The Greek letters KP or KAP are probably an abbreviation for
KAICAP, Greek for
Caesar."