Pontius Pilate Bronze Prutah 26-36 AD - Fine Quality

Note: Coin image is indicative of the quality you will receive, not the exact coin you may be sent.

Pontius Pilate was Governor of Judea from 26-36 AD under the Roman emperor Tiberius. He is one of the most infamous men in history as he gave the command to have Jesus Christ crucified. The bronze coins (or ‘prutah’) issued by Pontius Pilate between 26 – 36 AD are of special interest to Christians and Jews because of his connection with Jesus Christ and his involvement in Jewish history.

They were heavily used and traded every day during the lifetime of Jesus. His bronze prutah feature one of 2 designs minted between 29 and 31 AD. The first is that of three barley ears on the obverse and a simpulum on the reverse. The second features a lituus on the obverse and the date either LIZ or LIH in a wreath.

The prutah was of very low value and was used in the poor province of Judea ( At the time of Jesus it took 24 prutah just to buy a loaf of bread). They were produced by the Mint of Jerusalem, little attention was paid to their quality and most are far off center, flatly struck or nearly unidentifiable.

The lituus was a wand used to interpret natural phenomenon such as lightning flashes, the flight of birds, etc. The simpulum was a ladle used to make libations during sacrifices and was a common symbol of the Roman priesthood, guaranteed to offend Jewish religious sensibilities by being placed on coinage that they would have to handle on a daily basis.

All of the following examples were found in and around Jerusalem and have not been cleaned. Each coin is uniquely toned and still has dirt from the Holy land adhering to its surfaces. They can be cleaned to exhibit more detail or can be left in their original “as found” state. We chose “as found” for originality for the sake of history and this exactly why this particular hoard is so special. It is the highest quality coins we’ve ever located of these Prutahs struck by Pontius Pilate.