The term “tribute penny” gets thrown around a lot with respect to the Tiberius Denarius pieces. Is there a true tribute penny variety, or can it apply to all of the pieces with Tiberius on the obverse and his mother, Livia, on the reverse? I purchased this piece as a “tribute penny.” It has the proper wording for a Sear variety 1763 which is the tribute penny, yet the portrait is different from any other piece I have seen offered with that attribution. Obverse: Ti Caesar Divi Avg F Avgvstvs "Tiberius Caesar adopted by Augustus" NOTE the words are read counter-clockwise. Reverse: Livia seated holding a scepter and olive branch. Pontif Maxim "Highest priest." Attributed to the Lugdumum Mint. Is this a "tribute penny?" NOTE "Tribute penny" is applied to a coin mentioned in the Bible, Mathew 22, 17-21, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's."
I would think it falls within the so-called "Tribute Penny" category, and I think it's a wonderful coin on both sides. What in particular is different about the portrait than all the other examples you've seen?
Interesting question, @johnmilton ! I don’t think anybody knows for sure but this one and yours could certainly qualify. I gave it away last year. I guess I should add another one to my wish list.
Tiberius' neck appears to be a bit shorter, and his face looks to be more compact and younger. The neck issue might be because the dies ran off the coin at that point. It does not seem to match any of the pieces on the Wild Winds site. Tiberius ruled for 23 years, and it would seem that over that period of time that many dies would have been made for the denarius coin, given its importance in the Roman monetary system. Yet, when you look at the Sear guide, which I know is the "Readers' Digest" of Roman coin attribution, he lists only two varieties. One is this this type, which seems to cover a great many sub varieties. and a second which shows Tiberius driving a quadriga. Since the Bible does not describe the design on the coin, except that the head of the caesar is on it, how do we know what variety it is?
I don't think we do know. There's an argument that the denarius didn't even circulate in Judaea. But there are at least six different general "Giard Lyon" groups of the "Tribute Penny" issued during Tiberius's reign (based on the evolution of the style of both sides over time), and I've seen many different obverse dies with varying portraits. See the extended discussion of these groups at https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=tribute penny. As you can see, his nose, and the rest of his face, vary widely. I haven't taken the time to figure out which group yours is. There are photos of 18 different examples, three for each group. Towards the bottom, there's a long discussion of the alternate possibilities for what coin (for instance, some type of tetradrachm) might have been the basis for the Biblical reference. Here's my example: Tiberius AR Denarius, 18-35 AD, Lugdunum (Lyons) Mint, “Tribute Penny.” Obv. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG AVGVSTVS, Laureate head right/ Rev. PONTIF MAXIM, Livia, 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 [see https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=tribute penny]. 19 mm., 3.82 g. Toned Very Fine. Ex: Tom Cederlind Sale 86 (1989), 305; Ex: JMB collection; Ex: Kirk Davis, Cat # 72, Fall 2018, Lot 80.
As I understand it the Tiberius is accepted as the traditional tribute penny. But I've heard the denari most likely was not used in Judea at the time. A more correct one would probably be a shekel from Tyre but we don't really know for sure.
In most countries, coins circulate for years, if not decades, as they are intended. This is true for Ancient coins... I posit this as a possible candidate: RI Augustus AR Denarius struck 2 BC-14 AD Caius and Lucius Caesars stdg shield spear S 1578 NGC4276216-007
When conveying the story to his intended gentile audience the anonymous Greek author of the gospel (and no we really don't know who that is!) likely had a denarius in mind. The reality would have been a completely different coin - certainly one that commonly circulated in Judaea! The caveat here of course is accepting the the story as a factual historical event.
In the gospel, Jesus specifically asks for a "denarius" (δηνάριον [Mark 12:15]). He then makes a point of the fact that the coin bears the portrait and inscription of "Caesar". It is interesting that the evangelist is specific about the denomination rather than using a more generic term. The author of Mark typically uses Latinate words for coins, even though he is writing in Greek. This is taken by many as evidence that the Gospel was composed for a western community, perhaps in Rome itself. As the preceding post suggests, the relevant question for many is not which coins may have circulated in 1st century Judaea but which coin was in the mind of the evangelist. That coin is explicitly a denarius (δηνάριον) bearing the portrait (εἰκὼν) and inscription (ἐπιγραφή) of Caesar (Καίσαρος). The "Livia seated" type was issued through most of the reign of Tiberius and is by far his most common type.
Personally, I think that using the terms "Tribute Penny", "Widow's Mite", and "Thirty Pieces of Silver" is just a marketing ploy. Even if we assume that the Biblical stories mentioning these coins are accurate descriptions of real events, the precise numismatic identity of the coins was never the point. It's like asking "In Citizen Kane, what brand of sled was Rosebud?" But, to answer the original question, my understanding is that any denarius of Tiberius with Livia seated reverse (that is, almost all of them) gets called a "Tribute Penny" by sellers. As the text in Mark only mentions that the coin had the "image and superscriptions" of Caesar, narrowing it down to a specific variety is impossible based on the existing text. (Or, maybe it was an older coin of Augustus still in circulation- the text doesn't specify Tiberius, it just says "Caesar". But I haven't seen any sellers take this tack, even though it seems at least as plausible.)
I've always been confused about the hype around the "tribute penny" as well, as I didn't think denarii circulated in Judaea.
I can not accept the arguments about what coin was used. The story was written a generation after all the participants were dead using passed down data. The ID of the Tiberius type is based on the fact that Tiberius only issued a couple types of denarii and this one makes up 95% of his denarii. There is no reason that a Jew of that period would care between Augustus and Tiberius (all them dirty Romans look alike, don't they?). I have heard people propose that it could have been a Republican coin and, for the point of the story the only ID that matters is the one made by the guy who told Jesus who was on the coin. Jesus is not known as a great numismatist or as a user of cash money (remember he had Peter pay his Temple Tax using a coin from a fish). Only the most fundamental Christians require Biblical infallibility on all things numismatic. One of the apocryphal Gospels (Thomas?) specifies the coin was an aureus. For the intended purpose, it makes no difference. What does make a difference is that demand from Christian non-collectors has driven the price of this coin up to several times what it would be if it were just the most ordinary type of a long reign. Is this all hype to sell coins? Not all. Exactly! Did anyone ever name their sleds after literary characters? I had a sled 70 years ago but I do not recall the brand. I am obviously defective.
The real issue the evangelist is addressing is whether his own community should pay taxes to the Caesar of their time (Nero). Leaving the identity of "Caesar" open was a bit of rhetorical genius, I think.
Nicely explained, EUCHARISTO. My feeling, based on archaeological finds, is that it was not likely any denarius at all but more likely one of the drachmas of Caesarea issued during the reign of Tiberius. In size and weight and image they are dead ringers for his denarii and much more common in the Levant than denarii.
I agree. I recall reading that this is the most common denarius found in archaeological digs in Palestine and the surrounding area.
This 2011 article considers the date of the introduction of Roman denarii to Judaea. Although the biblical "tribute penny" references are noted, the author concludes that the archaeological and numismatic evidence does not support the introduction of Roman imperial denarii "in meaningful quantities" before the 60s CE. https://www.academia.edu/8281933/The_Date_of_Introduction_of_Denarii_to_Roman_Judaea_and_the_Decapolis_Region_Aram_23_2011_307_318_Kenneth_Lönnqvist
