That is a nice example Ray! I always get a chill down my spine when I hold one of these and realize who could have touched it!
Congratulations Deacon Ray, you were blessed today. You've stirred up some great interest and new threads to follow. I have a very worn example I will post when I get the opportunity. These days I am always anxious to see if I have the "real deal".
Yes. I'm afraid I've crossed over! I'll post my Roman collection soon and get some advice about which direction I should go.
That's a lovely coin with a lot of eye-appeal. My first ancient was this tribute penny. It means so much to me I made it my avatar! The type comes in a few different varieties of the reverse, involving the design of the chair and whether Livia holds a scepter or an inverted spear. Mine therefore has a different RIC number. Tiberius, AD 14-37 Roman AR Denarius; 3.87 g, 18.5 mm Lugdunum, AD 16-37 Obv: TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head, right Rev: PONTIF MAXIM, Livia, as pax, seated right, holding long olive branch and inverted spear; legs of chair ornate, triple line below Refs: RIC 28; BMCRE 45; RCV 1763 var.
I'll give you some directions for your Roman coin collection. 1. First, you must absolutely buy some awesome RR coins. 2. Don't neglect the awesome first and second sentury Imperials. 3. Do buy 3rd through 5th Century Imperials. 4. Buy Roman Provincials. 5. Buy gold, silvers and bronze...and all denomination types. * Just buy a bit of everything. Buy Romans, buy them often, and enjoy them. Eventually after buying a little bit of everything you'll start to find areas that call out to you more than others.
This is a love it or hate it coin for many collectors. I happen to be unapologetic in liking Tiberius denarii. Here's one of my favorites.
Yours is another excellent example. Just the right wear, nice centering, solid strike, bonus pretty toning... most legend: I definitely would capture this one. Nice job!
Nice one, @Deacon Ray ! As usual, your graphics are wonderful, too. You could produce some nice picture books, y'know. I've had two "Tribute Pennies" over the years; one in my first Roman collection and the next in my Twelve Caesars set. Both came from @Aethelred, as it happens. I think it's cool that they also struck aureii from the same dies, which are unsurprisingly referred to as "The Gold Tribute Penny". Wouldn't it be dreamy to own one of those? (I like that last one, with the toning.) There's a good article with lots of pictures of the different Tribute pennies here.
Knowing how you collect, I'm very happy for you. Your coin has great details and nice centering. Mine is more of a budget piece that was weakly struck and has wear. Just took quick pics this morning.
Great coin @Deacon Ray, really nice example of a tribute penny that must have required a pretty penny to purchase!