Prutah - Tiberius Valerius Gratus as Prefect

Valerius Gratus served as prefect of Judaea from 15 to 26 CE — longer than any of his predecessors and immediately before Pontius Pilate. This prutah belongs to his third coinage type, issued in the third and fourth years of Tiberius. Gratus was unusually prolific in his minting activity, producing at least five distinct coin types across his tenure, more than any earlier prefect. The Jerusalem mint struck these in bronze precisely because Roman provincial policy reserved silver for official imperial coinage, leaving local administrations to supply small change independently.