A bronze prutah of Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea...

A bronze prutah of Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea under Tiberius – irregular type. Obv.: Lituus (divining rod) surrounded by misunderstood Greek inscription TIBEPIOY KAICAPOC ('of Tiberius Caesar'). Rev.: Date in wreath (LIZ or LIH, year 17 or 18).

This coin was struck by a carelessly engraved die termed irregular / barbaric.

30-31 C.E. 1.84 grams, 15½ mm, axis 12. For similar examples cf. Ya'akov Meshorer, A Treasury of Jewish Coins (Jerusalem 2001), pl. 75, no. 335