Written by Antonio Alejandro Piccolo

In our current Auction 10, which will take place on Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25, 2025, there are seven Roman aurei featured, issued in the names of emperors and empresses across the three centuries during which this prestigious denomination was in circulation.

These fascinating coins bear the portraits of Tiberius, Claudius, Hadrian, his wife Sabina, Faustina the Elder, Marcus Aurelius, and, finally, Herennia Etruscilla.

In this article, which we dedicate to them, we will focus on the aureus struck under Tiberius, lot 72, and the corresponding denarius, lot 73, also known as the “Tribute Penny.”

Tiberius, Aureus

The aureus of Tiberius, featured in lot 72, was struck at the Gallic mint of Lugdunum, modern-day Lyon in France. On the obverse, it displays a finely detailed portrait of the emperor. The reverse depicts a seated female figure, resting her right hand on a long scepter and holding an olive branch in her left hand.

Auction 10, Lot 72, Tiberius (14-37) Aureus – D/ Testa laureata a dx. “TI CAESAR DIVI AUG F AUGUSTUS”. R/ La Pace seduta a dx con scettro e ramo di ulivo. “PONTIF-MAXIM” AU (g 7,71)

This coin type first appeared on a very rare aureus issued by Emperor Augustus, but it was only under the reign of his successor, Tiberius, that it saw widespread use.

The numerous finds of this coin type in India and at various sites along the Silk Road suggest that this aureus became a reference currency in international trade, particularly for luxury goods.
A similar phenomenon occurred centuries later with the Florentine florin and the Venetian gold ducat.

Tiberius, “Tribute Penny” Denarius

In addition to the aurei, Tiberius also used the same obverse and reverse types for his silver denarii, one of which is featured in lot 73.

Auction 10, Lot 73, Tiberius (14-37) Denarius – D/ Testa laureata dell’Imperatore a dx. “TI CAESAR DIVI AUG F AUGUSTUS”. R/ Livia seduta a dx. “PONTIF-MAXIM” C. 15 AG (g 3,55)

Many scholars, especially from the Anglo-Saxon tradition, identify this coin as the “Tribute Penny,” referenced in the Gospel episode of the tribute to Caesar.

The female deity depicted on the reverse is widely recognized by scholars as a personification of Peace.

Pax played a significant role in Augustus’s political representation, as he effectively restored peace to Rome after a long period of civil wars.

The Ara Pacis Augustae (“Altar of Augustan Peace”), commissioned by the Senate in 13 BC to celebrate Augustus’s return from his military campaign in Hispania, still stands today as a monumental testament to this.

The type featured on our coins, a direct descendant of the Augustan model, is instead a more tangible and far-reaching testament, conveying imperial propaganda throughout the lands of the empire and beyond.

The female personification on the reverse is, in all likelihood, a celebration of the first Roman empress, Livia, wife of Augustus and, even before their marriage, mother of Tiberius himself.

This would explain the popularity of the coin type used by both of these emperors, over whom the Augusta held great influence.

She almost certainly knew of the existence of this coin and, perhaps recognizing in the majestic deity on the reverse an allusion to herself, likely savored during her lifetime the deification that was only formally bestowed upon her many years after her death by her grandson Claudius, in AD 42.

Read also:

• the blog post “Myth and Prestige of “Casada” in four Osella pieces of Venice“
• the press release of Auction 10