Roman Imperial: Tiberius (AD 14-37). AR denarius (19mm, 3.74 gm, 2h). NGC Choice XF★ 5/5 - 5/5....

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Tiberius (AD 14-37). AR denarius (19mm, 3.74 gm, 2h). NGC Choice XF★ 5/5 - 5/5. Lugdunum, ca. AD 15-18. TI CAESAR DIVI-AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head of Tiberius right / PONTIF-MAXIM, Livia, as Pax, seated right, feet on stool, grounded scepter in right hand, olive branch in outstretched left; chair with ornate legs, single line below. RIC I 30. Exceptional portraiture with mirror-like surfaces and hints of marigold toning.

Ex Heritage Auctions, Auction 3119 (2 November 2024), lot 31140.

As the stepchild and unwanted heir of Augustus, Tiberius had a difficult act to follow. Nevertheless, for the first few years of his reign, he did a commendable job running the vast empire bequeathed to his care. Cautious and frugal, he engaged in no wars of conquest and kept the Empire's finances in good order. However, he soon tired of the endless toil and began handing off duties to his unscrupulous second-fiddles, namely the Praetorian Prefect Sejanus and his eventual replacement, Macro. The resulting bloodbath among members of his own family, and their Senatorial supporters, tarnished his name throughout history. There are reports that in the end, Tiberius did not die of natural causes. Suetonius, himself, believed rumors that Caligula had poisoned Tiberius, starved him, and smothered him with a pillow before he fell dead. He was deified upon death.

His cautious nature is reflected in his coinage - unlike the proliferation of types employed by Augustus, Tiberius kept the same simple design for both silver denarii and gold aurei for almost the entirety of his reign. This uniformity of type makes it virtually impossible to date any particular aureus or denarius more precisely than somewhere within the last two decades of his reign. Hence, virtually any of his coins could have been struck in the same year as the momentous event he probably never heard about, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in Judaea, likely between AD 30 and 34. This coin type is most closely associated to Tiberius as the "Tribute Penny," as they are mentioned in the Bible.

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