Collection History: Donated by Fred B.R. Hellems in 1930
This coin, struck in Rome, comes from a common type for asses and dupondii during the reign of Tiberius: the celebration of the deified Augustus. After Augustus’s marriage to Livia, Tiberius became his step-son and eventual heir. The “Pater” in the legend of the obverse can then be understood either as emphasizing that link (as did Augustus through his “Divi Filius” types) while also honoring the title given to Augustus, “pater patriae” or “father of the homeland.” The winged thunderbolt, likely an image denoting Jupiter, only appears in this reverse among the imperial bronzes, though it was a more common motif on Greek bronzes from Sicily. Gena Goodman 2013.