Pontius Pilate, infamous in Christian history, minted this coin in the year 29/30 to honor the emperor Tiberius and his mother Livia. Its iconography, meant to appease the image-shunning citizens of Judaea, depicts a libation ladle and three ears of barley. To hold it as it was held so long ago is to open the corridors of the imagination. Was it once in the purse of someone listening to Jesus preaches? Did it pass through the hands of a witness to the crucifixion? We can never know its past for certain, but its radiant energy is tangible.