Picking a Tribute Penny

[Amarmur]

A common, yet moderately expensive coin. 

This was a hard choice to make. I think i got a decent one. Many of the portraits on the tribute penny look like Augustus. I bought this one because it's very distinctly Tiberius. It has a lot of personality, but Tiberius wasn't exactly good looking. Post your tribute penny.

Edited April 12 by Amarmur

[AETHER]

Very nice, I picked up a budget one not long ago... I also like the portrait 

[CPK]

Looks like a nice portrait (although the picture is sideways for me.) Congrats!

[Severus Alexander]

Very nice portrait style!

I only have an Indian imitation:

Note the deviant legends. It's also a die-match to a coin actually found in India: https://www.zeno.ru/showphoto.php?photo=31226

I sometimes wonder how many of the poorer style portraits, like some of those classified in Giard's group VI, are in fact Indian imitations.  Look at this coin, for example (not mine):

The style is very similar to my coin. Is it that a coin from these Lugdunum dies served as the model for my Indian imitation? or is this coin in fact an imitation as well? (Whether it's an imitation or not, I think it's pretty plausible that a coin like this served as the model for mine. You can even see how the correct legends on the bottom coin, due to metal flow and wear, got converted to the wonky version on my coin. I also suspect the wear on "Livia"'s chest, which created the groove down her front on the bottom coin, was copied to the dies on my coin.) (Source: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=10493029)

Or what about this coin? (Source: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=12107987):

Again, CNG attributes this coin to Lugdunum, but I wonder...

In any case, it's clear that the OP coin comes from original Lugdunum dies. I agree the portrait is very "Tiberius" too. Great coin!

Edited April 13 by Severus Alexander

[Postvmvs]

I am a sucker for imitative coins, so the only Tribute Pennies I have a fourrees:

 

 

[Edessa]

Tiberius, AD 14-37. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.74g, 10h). 'Tribute Penny' type. Lugdunum mint, stuck AD 18-35. Obv: TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS; Laureate head of Tiberius right. Rev: PONTIF MAXIM; Livia, as Pax, seated right on chair with ornate legs, holding scepter and olive branch. Ref: RIC 30; Lyon 150; BMC 48; RSC 16a. Good Very Fine, toned. Ex Jonathan Kern with his ticket. Ex Goldberg 116 (01 Jun 2020), Lot 952.

[John Conduitt]

I got mine for the portrait too.

Tiberius Denarius, 14-37
Lugdunum. Silver, 19x18mm, 3.64g. Head of Tiberius, laureate, right; TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS. Female figure (Livia as Pax), draped, right, seated, right on chair with plain legs, holding branch and long sceptre; below chair, a double line; PONTIF MAXIM (RIC I.2, 26). From the South Norfolk Hoard 2014 (image 44).

[Severus Alexander]

29 minutes ago, John Conduitt said:

I got mine for the portrait too.

Well, yes, but we don't fully believe that. I'm thinking this was pretty important too...

30 minutes ago, John Conduitt said:

From the South Norfolk Hoard 2014 (image 44).

😛

[Amarmur]

Lugdunum made some really nice Nero portraits as well. 

 

@John Conduitt Yours is great and your Tiberius doesn't look as old as mine

@Edessa Wonderful piece, I like the golden tone

@Postvmvs I'm a sucker for imitations too, especially wild ones of Tetricus and Tetricus II very common but some are like abstract art

@Severus Alexander Wow that Indian imitation is quite close to the original! 

@AETHER not a bad budget piece

[John Conduitt]

Just now, Severus Alexander said:

Well, yes, but we don't fully believe that. I'm thinking this was pretty important too...

😛

There were a few in that hoard 😂

[Jims,Coins]

Silver Coin (AR Denarius) minted at Lugdunum during the reign of TIBERIUS between 14 - 37 A.D. Obv. TI.CAESAR.DIVI.AVG.F.AVGVSTVS. laurel. hd. r. Rev. PONTIF.MAXIM.: Livia std. r. r. holding inverted spear, l. branch, in a chair with ornate legs, and her feet rest on a small footstool. RCS #567. RSCII #16a. RIC #30 pg.95. DVM #8c pg.75. (Tribute penny of the Bible).

 

Edited April 16 by Jims,Coins

[Roman Collector]

My first ancient!

Tiberius, 14-37 CE.
Roman AR Denarius, 3.87 g, 18.5 mm, 5 h.
Lugdunum, 16-37 CE.
Obv: TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head, right.
Rev: PONTIF MAXIM, Female figure seated right, holding long olive branch and inverted spear; legs of chair ornate, triple line below.
Refs: RIC 28; BMCRE 42-44; RSC 16b; RCV 1763 var.

[Octavius]

Two tribute pennies of Tiberius. The first  looks like a more idealized portrait.

 

[Salomons Cat]

21 hours ago, Octavius said:

Two tribute pennies of Tiberius. The first  looks like a more idealized portrait.

Mine has a similar style. It’s one of my favorites in my collection.

[Salomons Cat]

On 4/12/2024 at 2:09 AM, Postvmvs said:

I am a sucker for imitative coins, so the only Tribute Pennies I have a fourrees:

 

 

I agree! Contemporary forgeries and imitations are fascinating. The only one that I have is also a Tribute Penny, but it’s an aureus fourree:

[rvk]

Very nice coins. Lots of different groups with pleasant portraits. My group 1 "younger portrait w/ plain throne" style:

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

Here's a recent addition to my collection courtesy of the last Leu Numismatik web auction (end of February).

"Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

 

[Roman Collector]

Although @Ancient Coin Hunter's is not a die match to mine, I'm quite sure they were made by the same die-engraver!

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

21 hours ago, Roman Collector said:

Although @Ancient Coin Hunter's is not a die match to mine, I'm quite sure they were made by the same die-engraver!

Definitely could be the case @Roman Collector!

[DonnaML]

My one example, from Group 4. Not a great reverse, but I like the portrait.

Tiberius AR Denarius, 18-35 AD, Lugdunum (Lyons) Mint, “Tribute Penny.” Obv. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG AVGVSTVS, Laureate head right/ Rev. PONTIF MAXIM, Livia [Tiberius’s mother], as Pax, holding long sceptre & olive branch, seated right on throne with ornate legs, her feet resting on low footstool, single line below.  RIC I 30, RSC II 16a, Sear RCV I 1763, Giard Lyon, group 4, 150 [Jean Baptist Giard, Le Monnayage de l'atelier de Lyon (Wetteren, 1983)] [see https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=tribute penny].  19 mm., 3.82 g.  Purchased from Kirk Davis. Ex Kirk Davis, Cat # 72, Fall 2018, Lot 80; ex Tom Cederlind Sale 86 (1989), 305; ex JMB collection.

[Ursus]

 

On 4/13/2024 at 7:04 PM, Roman Collector said:

Although @Ancient Coin Hunter's is not a die match to mine, I'm quite sure they were made by the same die-engrave

I have anothe one in similar style:

Tiberius, Roman Empire, denarius, 15–18 AD, Lyon mint. Obv: TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate portrait right. Rev: PONTIF MA[XIM], Livia as Pax seated right on chair with ornately decorated legs, holding sceptre (or spear) and branch. 18mm, 2.8g. Ref: RIC I Tiberius 28; RSC II 16b; Sear 1763; Giard: Le monnayage de l'atelier de Lyon 1 (1983), group 2, 146.

[Qcumbor]

Despite Tiberius coinage being on the boring side with very few different types, those pictures prove a high diversity in portrait styles

 

Mine :

 

Q

[mcwyler]

[LONGINUS]

Great post, @Amarmur and superb Tribute Pennies !

 

These are always a must have item along with a pair of Judaean lepta (Widow’s Mites) to keep handy to show to a Bible study class.

Confession: I cheat a little when showing a shekel of Tyre, (since I don’t have one) by using an Antiochos VII tetradrachm.

 

 

[Amarmur]

I wonder if Lugdunum made all the denarii for Tiberius. That mint seemed to have a lot of different engravers seeing the variety of portraits. A lot of wonderful coins. I can't say tribute pennies are the nicest art pieces of Rome but they sure are varied and cool