Agora Auctions, LLC
Numismatic Auction 101 20 Jul 2021
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Tiberius. A.D. 14-37. AR denarius (19.4 mm, 3.57 g, 3 h). Lugdunum mint, struck A.D. 15-18. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head of Tiberius right / PONTIF MAXIM, Livia, as Pax, seated right on chair with plain legs, holding scepter and olive branch, two lines below. RIC 26; RSC 16; BMCRE 34. aVF, lightly toned.
In Le monnayage de l'atelier de Lyon, Jean Baptist Giard identifies six variations of this type, its style evolving over Tiberius' 22 year reign. This is the earliest, Group 1.This coin is commonly called a "Tribute Penny." In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus, referring to a "penny" asked, "Whose is this image and superscription?" When told it was Caesar, He said, ''Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's" (22:20-21). Since Tiberius was Caesar at the time, this denarius type is attributed by scholars as the "penny" referred to in the Bible.
In Le monnayage de l'atelier de Lyon, Jean Baptist Giard identifies six variations of this type, its style evolving over Tiberius' 22 year reign. This is the earliest, Group 1.This coin is commonly called a "Tribute Penny." In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus, referring to a "penny" asked, "Whose is this image and superscription?" When told it was Caesar, He said, ''Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's" (22:20-21). Since Tiberius was Caesar at the time, this denarius type is attributed by scholars as the "penny" referred to in the Bible.