By Pesach Benson • March 23, 2026
Jerusalem, 23 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli authorities have seized dozens of rare coins dating back about 2,000 years, many bearing ancient Hebrew inscriptions, in what officials suspect was an attempt to smuggle looted antiquities into Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Monday.
The coins were discovered during an inspection of a Palestinian vehicle at a checkpoint in northern Jerusalem on the first Friday of Ramadan, shortly before the outbreak of war with Iran. Border Police officers and customs inspectors found a box containing the artifacts during the search. The driver, identified as a hospital doctor, is suspected of attempting to transport the coins from Judea and Samaria into Jerusalem.
Following the discovery, archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority were called to examine the find. After confirming the coins’ authenticity and historical significance, inspectors from the authority’s Unit for the Prevention of Antiquities Theft detained the suspect for questioning.
According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, most of the coins date to the Second Temple period. The collection includes coins minted under Jewish rulers such as the Hasmonean kings John Hyrcanus I and Alexander Jannaeus.
Also among the seized items were silver shekels from the Great Revolt against Roman rule, which took place roughly 2,000 years ago. These coins, dated to Years 2 and 3 of the revolt, bear inscriptions in ancient Hebrew reading “Shekel of Israel” and “Jerusalem the Holy.” Bronze coins from the revolt’s fourth year were also found, featuring imagery of the Four Species used during the Jewish festival of Sukkot.
In addition, the cache included coins from the Bar Kokhba Revolt, a later Jewish uprising against the Romans in the second century CE. These bronze coins carry the name of the revolt’s leader, “Shimon (Bar Kokhba),” along with the inscription “Year Two of the Freedom of Israel.”
Authorities stated that the thieves discovered the coins by using metal detectors.
“Some of the coins were cleaned by unskilled hands, causing irreversible damage, while others, which may have been excavated recently, have not yet been cleaned. In my assessment, the coins were intended to be sold in Israel to parties engaged in the illegal antiquities trade or to collectors holding antiquities from dubious sources, and it is possible that some would have made their way to auction houses abroad. We intend to carry out further investigative actions in order to trace the source of the coins and their intended destination.”
Under Israeli law, trading in antiquities without a permit, as well as transporting antiquities from Judea and Samaria into Israel without authorization, are criminal offenses.
Dr. Amir Ganor, head of the Antiquities Theft Prevention Unit, warned that such incidents are becoming increasingly common.
“It is important to understand that every ancient coin has tremendous value for the study of the country’s past when found in situ and within its archaeological context. Once a coin is looted and removed from its context, the ability to reconstruct the past through it is irreversibly lost,” Ganor said.
“Unfortunately, the coins seized this week were, according to suspicion, looted for financial gain, removed from their context, and we will never know to which archaeological site or historical narrative they once belonged. The State of Israel must restrict by law the marketing and sale of metal detectors, which are used as destructive tools through which entire chapters of history are erased,” he added.
Searching for antiquities without a license using a metal detector is punishable in Israel by up to three years in prison.
Heritage Minister Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu said the seizure highlights a broader struggle to protect the country’s historical legacy.
“Those who loot antiquities are attempting to destroy our identity and to deny our historical connection to this land,” he said. “We are engaged in a fight against the illegal trade in antiquities and are working to bring the looters to justice. I commend the Border Police officers and the inspectors of the Antiquities Theft Prevention Unit for their determined action.”
The Israel Antiquities Authority is currently showcasing similar recovered items in a new exhibition in Jerusalem focusing on antiquities theft and efforts to combat it.
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