| Description: |
TIBERIUS AR silver denarius "Tribute Penny" Lugdunum mint. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F
AVGVSTVS, laureate head right / PONTIF MAXIM, Livia, as Pax, seated right, holding
olive-branch and long vertical sceptre; ornate legs to chair. Legend partially off-flan,
very artistically styled portrait with aVF detail. 18.5mm, 3.6g. RCV 1763, valued at $280
in VF
The denarius of Tiberius with Livia as Pax on the reverse is commonly known as the
'Tribute Penny,' the coin to which Jesus referred to when he was discussing paying taxes
to the Romans, and said "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God
the things that are God's" (Mark 12:17). Although there are two other reverse types
on denarii of Tiberius, they were only issued during the first two years of his reign,
while the Pax reverse was employed throughout the remainder, making it the more likely
coin referred to. The term 'penny' is from the 1611 King James translation of the Bible,
and was adopted since the penny was the standard denomination of the time. |
