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Tyrian shekels, tetradrachms, or tetradrachmas were coins of Tyre.
After the Roman Empire closed down the mint in Tyre, the Roman authorities allowed the Jewish rabbanim to continue minting Tyrian shekels in Judaea, but with the requirement that the coins should continue to bear the same image and text to avoid objections that the Jews were given autonomy. They were replaced by the First Jewish Revolt coinage in 66 AD.
The Tyrian shekels were considered by the Greeks, as they weighed four Athenian Ancient drachma, about 14 grams , more than earlier 11-gram shekels but regarded as equivalent for religious duties at that time., citing David Hendin's Guide to Biblical Coins and Y. Meshorer's Ancient Jewish Coinage. In ancient Tyre, the weekly wage of a skilled laborer was about 1 shekel.
Metallurgical studies have demonstrated that Tyrian shekels maintained an exceptionally high silver content throughout their entire production period, with a purity level approaching 94-97%. This remarkable consistency in metal quality distinguished them from other ancient silver coins. The exceptional purity helps explain why the Jerusalem Temple priests specifically required Tyrian shekels for Temple tax payments.
The money-changers referenced in the New Testament Gospels ( and parallels) provided Tyrian shekels in exchange for Roman currency when this was required.
A Tyrian shekel was featured on the television program Pawn Stars, presented by a seller named Ryan P. The coin was in a polished and cleaned state, which is considered damage under numismatic standards. It sold for $1,600 in the episode, which first aired on February 25, 2013. In the segment, Rick Harrison estimated that the coin might have been worth approximately $5,000 had it not been cleaned.
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