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Help a colleague identify and evaluate this scarab, please.

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lordmarcovan:
A Collectors Universe forum colleague (aka "Windycity" on those boards) recently posted this on the World & Ancient Coin Forum over there.  I steered him in this direction and offered to post it over here for him.  I'll quote his text and images from the other site.  I guess he mostly wants to confirm the information he has, and I'm sure the "how much is it worth?" question is foremost as well.


--- Quote ---I could use the help of experts on this. I am a US coin and currency collector/dealer but lack knowledge in ancients. I came upon this item in a larger collection I purchased a while back. It come with small paper from the original auction and describes the item as follows - "Steatite Stone Scarab - Dating of the Hyksos period, the period about 1800-1600 BC. Made of sand color stone and well preserved, and has early period engraved hieroglyphic writings for good luck on the underside. Length about 3/4 of an inch. Suitable from mounting into a ring." This item is part of a small ancient collection that I believe the collector purchased in an auction in the 1960's.

Any help and understanding of importance or lack thereof is appreciated.

--- End quote ---

Russ:
Hi LM,

Your friend's information is correct. It is ancient Egyptian, dating to the Second Intermediate Period, the Hyksos Period, c. 15th Dynasty. It is of the "Nubty" class. Nubty meaning "golden" is the bottom centered sign that looks like an necklace. The hieroglyphs in the field differ from scarab to scarab. This design motif may be vertical or horizontal.

For others of this class, see:
1.     Niccacci, Alviero. Hyksos Scarabs, Studium Biblicum Franciscarum 2. Trans. Godfrey Kloetzli. Jerusalem, 1980: Plates 1, 2 and 9.
1.     Petrie, W.M.F. Buttons and Design Scarabs, London, 1925: Plate X.

I hope this helps.

Russ

lordmarcovan:
Russ- thank you very much for your help.  I'll let him know.

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