Heritage World Coin Auctions
ANA Signature Sale 3056 3 Aug 2017
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Tiberius (AD 14-37). AV aureus (20mm, 7.69 gm, 5h). NGC MS 5/5 - 4/5. Lugdunum, ca. AD 18-35. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head of Tiberius right / PONTIF MAXIM, Livia, as Pax, seated right, holding scepter and olive branch; chair with ornate legs, feet on footstool, single line below. RIC 29. Calicó 305a. Well centered and deeply struck on a broad, round flan, displaying full legends and considerable luster.
As the stepchild and unwanted heir of Augustus, Tiberius had a difficult act to follow. Nevertheless, for the first few years of his reign, 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. 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.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 10000-13000 USD
Tiberius (AD 14-37). AV aureus (20mm, 7.69 gm, 5h). NGC MS 5/5 - 4/5. Lugdunum, ca. AD 18-35. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head of Tiberius right / PONTIF MAXIM, Livia, as Pax, seated right, holding scepter and olive branch; chair with ornate legs, feet on footstool, single line below. RIC 29. Calicó 305a. Well centered and deeply struck on a broad, round flan, displaying full legends and considerable luster.
As the stepchild and unwanted heir of Augustus, Tiberius had a difficult act to follow. Nevertheless, for the first few years of his reign, 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. 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.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 10000-13000 USD