CHI-RHO Church Tessera, 1St Century Christian Token on Nero from Lydia

Description

CHI-RHO, Church Tessera, 1St Century Christian Token on Ancient Nero Coin from Thyatira !
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Thyatira was located in modern-day western Turkey. It was best known for its dye and textile industries. The Book of Acts 16 tells of the first European Christian convert named Lydia, who was a dealer in purple fabric. Thyatira was also named as one of the Seven Churches in Revelation 2.
The area around Thyatira also had a large population of the Samaritan and Jewish diaspora. It's obvious from this countermark that a Samarian had reached a prominent position that allowed him to "qualify" or "certify" coins. The fact that a staurogram was allowed to be used as a countermark design is very unusual.
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Certified by NGC Genuine