Faustina Friday – Another Issue With an "All-Round" Legend

[Roman Collector]

Friday felicitations, fellow Faustina fanatics! I hope you have a great weekend!

This week's installment of Faustina Friday is about a denarius with an all-round legend, which represents a change in the style of inscriptions on the gold and silver issues of the Antonine coinage in the very last tribunician year (TR POT XXIIII) of Pius' reign, December 160 – 17 March 161. Specifically, the inscriptions of this period are characterized by larger than normal letters, which are arranged all around the circumference of the coin, with no break above the portrait or reverse type. This change also appears shortly thereafter in the coins of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus dated by tribunician or consular year to between 161 and 163. I have previously written about these all-round legends elsewhere.

This style of obverse lettering was also used on the last issues minted for Faustina the Elder. I have previously discussed one of these types here at NVMIS FORVMS, the Ceres standing left, holding corn ears and long torch reverse type with the CERES legend. Because this type is the only one of the aurei issued for Faustina the Elder to have an all-round legend,[1] Beckmann's die-linkage study of the aurei issued for the deified empress made no mention of any denarii that might have had all-round legends as well. So, while I was aware of denarii of the Ceres reverse type that corresponded to the aureus of that type, and even illustrated one in my previous Faustina Friday installment, I was unaware of the existence of denarii of the VESTA reverse type which featured all-round legends.

I have long owned an example of the denarius of this type without an all-round legend.

Faustina I, 138-141 CE.
Roman AR denarius, 3.40 g, 18.0 mm, 7 h.
Rome, 160-161.
Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: VESTA, Vesta standing left, holding Palladium and scepter.
Refs: RIC 400; BMCRE 485; Cohen 291; Strack 463; RCV 4601; CRE 152.

Because this particular reverse type was issued only in the denarius denomination, it falls outside of Beckmann's die-linkage study of the aurei and sestertii of Faustina the Elder and I wasn't able to date it more precisely than sometime after 145 CE, when the DIVA FAVSTINA obverse legend was introduced.[2] But I happened to notice a denarius of this reverse type in a forthcoming auction that had an all-round legend and I recently acquired it for my collection.

Faustina I, 138-141 CE.
Roman AR denarius, 3.60 g, 18.4 mm, 6 h.
Rome, 160-161.
Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: VESTA, Vesta standing left, holding Palladium and scepter.
Refs: RIC 400; BMCRE 485; Cohen 291; Strack 463; RCV 4601; CRE 152.
Notes: Casa de Subastas de Madrid, Auction 636, lot 141, 24 February 2023. Münz Zentrum Rheinland, Auction 184, lot 525, 16 May 2018.

Intrigued, I looked around at the various databases for more examples and found four or five more specimens at acsearch.info. Therefore, the situation seems exactly parallel to what we see with the CERES type: most examples do not feature an all-round legend, but a handful of specimens do. Therefore, the VESTA reverse type was struck alongside the CERES type, and must also date to 160-161 CE.

I'm not sure I'm breaking any ground with scholarship here, but I was at last able to date the VESTA denarius.

Do you have any aurei or denarii of Faustina the Elder with all-round legends? I'd love to hear your comments and see any coins you deem relevant.

~~~

Notes

1. Beckmann, Martin. Diva Faustina: Coinage and Cult in Rome and the Provinces. American Numismatic Society, 2012, pp. 10-11, 70.

2. Beckmann, op. cit., pp. 63-72.

[Marsyas Mike]

Interesting and informative as always, @Roman Collector - I think you did break new ground with scholarship.  

Unfortunately I do not have an "all round" legend type, but I do have RIC 400 with the usual split legend.  As usual with Faustina Friday installments this gave me an opportunity to update my sketchy attribution for the flip.  Condition is a bit rough, but I really like the eye looking heavenward portrait on this one: 

Faustina I   Denarius (c. 160-161 A.D.) See notes. Rome Mint DIVA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust  right / VESTA, Vesta standing left, holding Palladium and scepter. RIC III Antoninus Pius 400; BMCRE 485; Cohen RSC 291; Strack 463; RCV 4601.  (2.78 grams / 17 x 16 mm) eBay May 2019 $10.50 

Notes:  "...the situation seems exactly parallel to what we see with the CERES type: most examples do not feature an all-round legend, but a handful of specimens do. Therefore, the VESTA reverse type was struck alongside the CERES type, and must also date to 160-161 CE." Roman Collector Numis Forums (Mar. 2023)

 

[Roman Collector]

On 3/17/2023 at 10:15 AM, Marsyas Mike said:

Interesting and informative as always, @Roman Collector - I think you did break new ground with scholarship.  

Unfortunately I do not have an "all round" legend type, but I do have RIC 400 with the usual split legend.  As usual with Faustina Friday installments this gave me an opportunity to update my sketchy attribution for the flip.  Condition is a bit rough, but I really like the eye looking heavenward portrait on this one: 

Faustina I   Denarius (c. 160-161 A.D.) See notes. Rome Mint DIVA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust  right / VESTA, Vesta standing left, holding Palladium and scepter. RIC III Antoninus Pius 400; BMCRE 485; Cohen RSC 291; Strack 463; RCV 4601.  (2.78 grams / 17 x 16 mm) eBay May 2019 $10.50 

Notes:  "...the situation seems exactly parallel to what we see with the CERES type: most examples do not feature an all-round legend, but a handful of specimens do. Therefore, the VESTA reverse type was struck alongside the CERES type, and must also date to 160-161 CE." Roman Collector Numis Forums (Mar. 2023)

 

Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad this weeks installment contained some useful information and allowed you to update the information you had about the date of issue.

[Ryro]

"Faustina Friday – Another Issue With an "All-Round" Legend"

You're the all around legend, RC!

Thanks for sharing the cool coin and great write up!