two ladies' asses

[Severus Alexander]

Seems to me we need some more Roman Empire content, so I thought I'd post a couple of lovely asses I acquired lately.  (As you may know, I'm a middle bronze fan.)

First, one of my namesake's mother, Julia Mamaea:

Is it just me, or does the portrait look more like Orbiana?  Which is ironic, given that Orbiana was banished at Mamaea's behest.  I doubt SA ever truly forgave his mother for that.

 

Second, Otacilia Severa:

The As really was a workhorse coin in the Empire (though perhaps less so in the 3rd century when these were issued), so I'm always quite happy when I manage to snag examples in higher grade, like these two.

 

Pile on with your middle bronzes!

[ambr0zie]

Ladies' asses are so cool!

I could keep it like this a little more, already deleted some philosophical stuff I was writing but I do not want to get banned from this forum.

Both coins are excellent - I love the details (I have rarely seen this level of preservation on 3rd century coins, plus the engravers were skilled).

I only have 3 asses with empresses portraits - 2 from Diva Faustina 1 and 1 from Herennia Etruscilla.

 

DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA

, bust of Faustina I, veiled, right

AETERNITAS S C

, Providentia, draped, standing left, holding globe on extended right hand and vertical sceptre in left

RIC 1163ab

 

Second is one I got in a lot. Quite beat but the portrait is good.

RIC III Antoninus Pius 1173a (as)

DIVA FAVSTINA

, bust of Faustina I, draped, right, hair elaborately waved and coiled in bands across head and drawn up at back and piled in a round coil on top.

AVGVSTA S C

, Ceres, draped, standing, front, head left, holding short lighted torch, transverse, raised in right hand and sceptre, vertical, at side, in left

My Herennia Etruscilla has surface issues, but I was happy for getting it with a price of 10 EUR. And since I am trying achieve my goal of 1 coin/emperor or empress, getting just silver coins can be boring, so it was a good addition.

Herennia Etruscilla AD 249-251. Rome

As Æ

26 mm, 8,79 g

Date Range: AD 249 - AD 251

HERENNIA ETRVSCILLA AVG, bust of Herennia Etruscilla, diademed, draped, right / PVDICITIA AVG S C, Pudicitia, draped, veiled, seated left, drawing veil with right hand, holding sceptre in left hand

RIC IV Trajan Decius 136c

 

[Severus Alexander]

6 minutes ago, ambr0zie said:

I could keep it like this a little more, already deleted some philosophical stuff I was writing but I do not want to get banned from this forum.

🤣

7 minutes ago, ambr0zie said:

Herennia Etruscilla AD 249-251. Rome

Not an easy one to find as an As by any means!  Well done!

[Qcumbor]

I don't think I have any 3rd century Empress' as to show, and yours are awesome @Severus Alexander but I have two I can show from the 2nd century, one of them I've snagged at a famous auction 😉

Diva Faustina Senior, As - Posthumous issue, Rome mint, after AD 147 
DIVA FAVSTINA, Draped bust of Faustina right
AETER NITAS, Eternity standing left, holding Phoenix in right hand and her dress in left hand
11.45 gr
Ref : Cohen #13, RCV #4638

 

Crispina (178-183), AE As, Rome mint AD 180-182
CRISPINA AVGVSTA; Draped bust right, hair knotted in a bun in back.
LAETITIA; Laetitia standing left, holding wreath & rudder on globe.

11.80g, 25mm

Ref : RIC # 683; BMC # 435; Cohen # 28

Q

[Spaniard]

58 minutes ago, Severus Alexander said:

Pile on with your middle bronzes!

Antoninus Pius AD 138-161. Æ As (27.1mm, 8.14 g.)..Rome mint, struck AD 139.
Obv. IMP T AEL CAES HADRI ANTONINVS AVG PIVS, laureate head right.

Reverse: P M TR POT COS II S-C, Fortuna standing left holding cornucopia and rudder.
RIC II 533c (scarce)
Nice VF, good portrait.
Green patina.
Scarce 139 AD emission, without globe and COS II rather than COS III.

[Ryro]

two ladies' asses...

What!? I feel deeply mislead by the title of your thread (damnit, I did not mean to rhyme).

Good call though with the Roman bronzes!

Here are two asses... and a Dupondius and Sestertius 😋

JULIA AUGUSTA (LIVIA). AUGUSTA, 

14-29 A.D. AE Dupondius (31 mm, 13.13 gms), Rome Mint.
RIC-Tiberius 47. Bareheaded
and draped bust of Julia Augusta (Livia) as Salus Augusta right; Reverse: Large
S.C, inscription around. Light brown with some granularity. Nearly VERY FINE.
Former: Savoca

Livia, wife of Augustus

(died in 29 AD). AE As, struck under Tiberius, 22-23 AD. D / Diademed and draped bust of Livia (as Justitia) right; IVSTITIA below. R / TI CAESAR DIVI F AVG PM TR POT XXIIII around large SC. RIC (Tib.) 46. AE. g. 13.18 mm. 29.00 R. Rare. Dark green patina. F. Ex Artemide Aste

 

Julia Domna  
193-211 CE. Rome Sestertius Æ 27mm., 19,52g. IVLIA DO-MNA [AVG]; draped bust right / VENERI [VICTR]; Venus standing right, seen from behind, leaning on column, holding palm with left hand and apple with right; S C across fields. Revere almost slate RIC IV 842.

[Alegandron]

Roman Republic

Amphipolis, Macedon
Macedonia Under the Romans, 
Gaius Publilius, Questor, 
AE26. As (BCE 148-146)
obv: Head of Roma right in helmet decorated with griffin
rev: MAKEDONWN TAMIOV GAIOV POPAILIOV all within oak wreath
Ref: SNG COP 1318 

Ex: Nathan Miller 

Edited May 24, 2022 by Alegandron

[Roman Collector]

Hey, @Severus Alexander, I got your wife ... RIGHT HERE!!

Orbiana, AD 225-227.
Roman Æ as, 11.43 gm, 24.5 mm.
Rome, AD 225.
Obv: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed and draped bust, r.
Rev: CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM SC, Concordia enthroned l., holding patera and double cornucopiae.
Refs: RIC 656; BMCRE 297-298; Cohen 5; RCV 8195.

[Severus Alexander]

1 hour ago, Roman Collector said:

Hey, @Severus Alexander, I got your wife ... RIGHT HERE!!

Orbiana, AD 225-227.
Roman Æ as, 11.43 gm, 24.5 mm.
Rome, AD 225.
Obv: SALL BARBIA ORBIANA AVG, diademed and draped bust, r.
Rev: CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM SC, Concordia enthroned l., holding patera and double cornucopiae.
Refs: RIC 656; BMCRE 297-298; Cohen 5; RCV 8195.

I have one of those too, RC, but I like yours better... care to wife swap? 😁

 

Seriously, though, the portrait on your Orbiana looks VERY similar to the portrait on my Mamaea, don't you think?

[Roman Collector]

Your Mamaea portrait DOES look just like Orbiana! Your specimen has an amazing boardwalk flan!

I acquired mine from William Rosenblum in 2009. Where did yours come from?

[Severus Alexander]

7 minutes ago, Roman Collector said:

I acquired mine from William Rosenblum in 2009. Where did yours come from?

I got my Orbiana in a Künker group lot back in 2017.  It's ex Hannelore Scheiner (she had a sub-specialty in middle bronzes).  Mine is quite severely smoothed and possibly tooled a bit, but I was still happy to get it for significantly less than a hundred bucks.

Wanna see a boardwalk flan on an As?  Check this baby out:

[zumbly]

Nice ones, Sev!  I've always felt my collection a little lacking in quality asses. 😳

JULIA DOMNA
AE As. 10.16g, 26.1mm.
Rome mint, AD 196-211. RIC 881 (scarce); Cohen 121; BMC 789.
O: IVLIA AVGVSTA, draped bust right.
R: MATER CASTRORVM, Julia, diademed and veiled, standing front, head to left, sacrificing out of patera over altar with her right hand and holding long caduceus with her left; before her, three standards; S C in exergue.
Ex G.G. Collection; reportedly ex Robert Friedinger-Pranter Collection, and privately acquired by him from Oberstleutnant Otto Voetter on 29 January 1913 for 6 crowns.

And if not for the generosity of friends, I'd have one fewer!... 🙂

SEVERUS ALEXANDER
AE As. 11.04g, 26.8mm.
Rome mint, AD 234. RIC IV 540.
O: IMP ALEXANDER PIVS AVG, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right.
R: P M TR P XIII COS III P P S C, Sol advancing left with right hand raised, cradling whip in left, with chlamys billowing behind him.
Ex Severus Alexander Collection (Noble Numismatics Auction 122, 21 November 2019, part of lot 3328); ex Cornelius C. Vermeule III Collection (Triton III, Nov 1999, part of lot 1720)

Edited May 25, 2022 by zumbly

[Severus Alexander]

There's also your luscious Faustina II, @zumbly!  I think you're well endowed with quality asses. 😁

I love that JD type.  Very cool provenance too!  Here's my late JD, on a bit of a buzz-saw flan:

Edited May 25, 2022 by Severus Alexander

[ominus1]

On 5/24/2022 at 4:01 PM, Ryro said:

deeply mislead by the title

..yeah me 2!... (l) (l) 😛 

[Alegandron]

4 hours ago, ominus1 said:

..yeah me 2!... (l) (l) 😛 

WELCOME, ol' Buddy!

[ominus1]

5 minutes ago, Alegandron said:

WELCOME, ol' Buddy!

thanks!...hey, i'm kind of a rebel too yaknow  😛

[Kali]

Beautiful OP coins. I really like the Julia Mamaea. And I agree, it looks like Orbiana in a way.

[Severus Alexander]

42 minutes ago, Kali said:

Beautiful OP coins. I really like the Julia Mamaea. And I agree, it looks like Orbiana in a way.

Thanks!!

I like your avatar. Plus it might serve as a bit of consolation for those who felt misled by my clickbait thread title. 😄