Where can these coins be found other than ebay? I would like a low grade original coin that will not break the bank just to show the kids and explain about it. What can I expect to pay for a coin with details enough to identify? Thanks Kent
Nonsense! Any one of six Caesars might have been on that coin mentioned in the synoptic Books of Matthew at 22:16 and Mark at 12:13 and Luke 20:22. But your most likely candidate for the kind of coin that Jesus held to make his point is a Lucius/Caius reverse of Octavius. See here: http://www.coin-newbies.com/articles/caesars.html The knowledgeable numismatist gets around the moneychangers by understanding the times and places and people. For the price of a Tiberius, you could get a handful of Greek bronzes from most of the towns visited by Luke and Paul. And remember, Mary and Joseph (and Jesus, of course) escaped the Slaughter of the Innocents by fleeing to Egypt. How about a nice Alexandirian Egyptian tetradrachm?
So is this the coin that is thought to be the more likely "tribute penny"? If so, what are the inscriptions?: obverse: CAESARAVGVSTVSDIVIPATERPATRIAE? reverse: CLCAESARES AVG...???? Thanks ahead of time. guy source of picture: acsearch.info http://www.acsearch.info/record.html?id=384384
Obverse inscription roughly translates as 'Augustus Caesar the Divine, Father of the Country'. The Reverse refers to Caius and Lucius Caesar, grandsons of Augustus and his one time heirs before their premature deaths prior to Augustus' own death in 14 A.D...
Here is a really low grade/corroded Tribute Penny my son found last year together with a sestertius. Unfortunately, the soil conditions seem to have been very aggresive. But it is still identifiable. Worth probably very little if at all, but still a very interesting find, and he was ecstatic to have found it.
The Tribute Penny question is one that can not be discussed without trampling on toes and violating list rules regarding religious description. The arguements for and against any particular denarius type are all based on assumptions and reading passages that were not written for numismatic purposes. The fact remains that the Tiberius coin has long been identified with the Bible passage and bears the additional demand of Christian collectors who want a 'coin of the Bible'. As a result, the single most common first century silver coin sells for more than it might otherwise. The second choice coin of Augustus shown above also gets a boost in this market because it depicts the Caesar Augustus of the Nativity story. Collectors want coins that link to familiar history and coin sellers are more than willing to cooperate. As I type this I'm half-watching a show on the History Channel Secrets of Christianity: Selling Christianity on the question of the relation between Constantine and Christianity coming to the Empire. The show is, again, undiscussable without bordering on religious toe trampling. I would suggest everyone watch it and compare its presentation with coin evidence you have seen. Good questions beget more good questions and very rarely easy answers. Just like the Tribute Penny, several coins of the Constantinian period come with links to history and the Christian conversion of the Empire. Are they collectible for this purpose. I say yes. What I really believe is that there is no simple answer to the Tribute Penny question or the Constantine conversion question but a well informed collector wishing to illustrate these matters needs a number of coins ('a collection') selected to show the 'big picture' rather than just giving an easy answer of more than slightly flawed accuracy.
I agree with Doug that Tiberius has most often been associated with the "Tribute Penny" since he was ruler at the time the phrase was spoken. His Denari should be worth about $100 for a decent one, but because of this association most often cost $300 for a decent one, and you are lucky to get a recognizable VG for $100. Chris
Thank you, but I think I already have the historical significance. :smile What I need is the actual Latin insciption on the reverse. I can't make it out. guy
Another major feature is that Tiberius was Emperor for about 16 years before the ministry of Christ using standard dating guesses. During that time he issued a very few denarii with a reverse of a chariot and then settled into the standard 'Livia' reverse on the 'Tribute Penny'. This lack of variation makes it 99% likely that any coin of Tiberius would be this type. No other emperor ruled so long with so few coin types. Certainly it is a fair question whether anyone involved in this story would recognize the difference between any portrait of any Roman and any other Roman (they all looked alike?). There are even those who suggest that the coin need not be a denarius offering the suggestion that it could have been a Greek drachm. Saying 100 of the Gospel of Thomas (a book excluded when the Bible codex was established) tells the Tribute Penny story specifying the coin was gold. For the record, the 'Tribute Penny' type was also issued as a gold aureus and a couple thousand dollars will get you one of them.
As a collector of Biblical coins and coins pertaining to the history of that period, it is refreshing to learn that others are also so interested. Returning to Kent's original request ~~~ "where can these coins be found ~~~", a useful start is to be found at biblicalmites.com. The site owner, Charles Richie, is a chaplain in a maximum security CA state prison. His site is loaded with photos, Biblical references and other relevant information. I always consult his site as a starting point whenever I'm in a position acquire another Biblical coin. Checked biblicalmites.com earlier and learned that the "tribute penny" is also available in gold. Some penny!!!
Augustus. 27 BC-14 AD. AR Denarius (3.63 gm). Struck 2 BC-14 AD. O:CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE, laureate head of Augustus right R: AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT, C L CAESARES in exergue, Caius and Lucius Caesars standing facing, shield and spears between them; simpulum and lituus above. RIC I 207; BMCRE 519; RSC 43. This type was struck to celebrate Gaius and Lucius Caesars, the sons of Marcus Agrippa, as heirs to the imperial throne. Gaius became Princeps Iuventutis in 5 BC and Lucius in 2 BC. They died in 4 AD and 2 AD respectively, thus promoting Tiberius to heir apparent. Source: wildwinds.com
