Collectors have long identified this Tiberius denarius as the Tribute Penny, the coin tied to the Gospel account of paying taxes to Caesar. The type came from the mint at Lugdunum in Gaul during the reign of Rome's second emperor, AD 14-37, and it circulated widely across the empire. That biblical association pulls buyers from well beyond the usual ancient coin market, so clean, high-grade survivors rarely sit unsold. Nearly two thousand years of handling thinned the supply further, which makes an example at this level worth attention.

The obverse carries the laureate head of Tiberius facing right, engraved in the restrained classical style of the Lugdunum mint, with the imperial legend running around the border. His features show strong device definition through the hair and laurel wreath, while the portrait sits well centered on the flan. On the reverse, a seated female figure generally understood as Livia in the guise of Pax holds a long vertical scepter and an olive branch, resting on a chair with ornate turned legs. The drapery folds remain bold and the reverse legend reads clearly along the left field.

NGC graded this denarius Choice About Uncirculated with a Strike of 3/5 and a Surface of 2/5, and the coin weighs 3.55 grams. The silver keeps a bright, lightly lustrous look across the fields, with the minor roughness and small edge flaws typical of coins recovered after centuries in the ground. What sets this piece apart is how much of the original detail survives at Choice AU, particularly the seated figure, which is often flat on circulated examples of the type. For those seeking a well-detailed example of the most famous silver coin of the Roman Empire, this denarius delivers. The coin pictured is the exact coin you will receive.

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