Now displayed on the second floor foyer of the James P. Boyce Centennial Library are curated selections from a numismatic collection featuring actual coins used throughout the Ancient Near East and Roman Empire over a 900-year period. This collection — 256 coins in total — is a donation from Kelly E. Blanton Jr., a private collector who wanted to share his appreciation of ancient numismatics with a wide audience. Library staff selected 29 coins for public display, with the remainder of the collection secured in archival storage in a climate-monitored environment. Viewers of the display are able to see the variety of denominations including leptons, penny-sized coins more commonly known as a “widow’s mite” on account of its connection with Luke 21:1-4 and Mark 12:41-44. At least one copper mite on display is believed to date from the time of the first Jewish revolt against Rome. Also of particular note are the tetradrachms of Tyre (alternatively known as “shekels”), which are possible representatives of the “thirty pieces of silver” which Judas Iscariot would have received for his betrayal of Christ. The likenesses of many of the great figures of the ancient world are represented on denarii, small silver coins widely circulated through the Roman Empire. On display are the iconic images of Cleopatra VII, Mark Antony, Vespasian, Domitian, Trajan, and Marcus Aurelius. The first Christian emperor, Constantine the Great, and his son grace two bronze coins displayed alongside the other Roman emperors.
Visitors to the archives office may request to peruse the rest of the items not currently on display. These coins include multiple examples of the Roman currency during the days of the Apostle Paul and the early church. The names of Pontius Pilate, Herod Agrippa, Antonius Felix, and Porcius Festus have been familiar to Christians of all eras on account their prominence in the Gospel accounts and the book of Acts. Seeing actual currency associated with these aforementioned rulers, however, provides today’s students with an opportunity to connect directly with the ancient world in which the Holy Spirit worked mightily through men and women to establish the community of God’s people.