The Siege of Carthage

Triton XIV, Lot: 41. Estimate $2000. Sold for $7500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CARTHAGE, Third Punic War. Circa 149-146 BC. AV Serrate 2/5 Shekel (14mm, 3.03 g, 12h). Head of Tanit left, wearing wreath of grain ears, single-pendant earring, and necklace / Horse standing right; pellets above rump. Jenkins & Lewis Group XVIII, 504 (same dies); MAA 97d; SNG Copenhagen 402. Good VF, scratch in field on reverse. Very rare.

Ex Triton I (2 December 1997), lot 652 (incorrect weight).

By the time of the Third Punic War, Carthage had limited precious metal resources at its disposal. H.R. Baldus (”Ein 146 v. Chr. verbrannter Geldbörseninhalt aus Karthago,” Chiron 33 [2003]) has convincingly argued that this serrate gold issue was struck from the melted jewelry that was contributed by the women of Carthage during the summer of 149 BC after the Roman siege of the city had begun, an event noted by Diordoros (32.9).