A PAIR OF 18CT ROSE GOLD CUFFLINKS, Each set with a silver denarius of the Roman emperor Tiberius (14 - 37 CE) in a polished gold surround, the surround engraved to the front 'Robert Adams Pape', chain link and toggle fittings, foreign marks for 18k, 750, makers mark A&P, 24.51 grams.

The silver denarii featured here were struck between 14 - 17 CE and are known as tribute pennies due to their connection to the bible and Jesus. In Luke 20:20 a Pharisee attempts to entrap Jesus with a question of whether the temple tax (a fee paid by the Jewish people for the temple upkeep) should be paid. Jesus then requests to see the coin and uses the now-famous phrase “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's”. Tiberius, the second Roman Emperor reigned during Jesus’s lifetime and was the adopted son of Augustus, the first emperor who in turn was the adopted son of Julius Caesar. The obverse features a portrait of Tiberius and the inscription TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS (Tiberius Caesar Augustus, son of divine Augustus). The reverse shows Livia, the mother of Tiberius, seated as Pax with the inscription PONTIF MAXIM (Pontifex Maximus). Interestingly the title Pontifex Maximus referred to the head of the Roman state religion (Religio Romana), a title later used by Catholic Popes.