Faustina Friday – Another Tricky Lookalike!

[Roman Collector]

Friday felicitations, fellow Faustina Fanatics! I hope you have a coin-filled weekend ahead. I have previously written about a pair of medium bronzes issued for Faustina the Elder that have such similar reverse iconography that they are commonly mistaken for each other. For this week's installment of Faustina Friday and in the same vein, we will look at a couple of medium bronzes issued for Faustina the Younger that may be confused, especially as these coins circulated for decades in the Antonine period and their legends are typically well-worn. These lookalike coins each depict Salus seated left, holding a patera in her right hand, from which she feeds a serpent coiled round an altar before her. Each of these coins features the obverse titulature FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, but one was issued under Antoninus Pius and reads AVGVSTI PII PIL SC on its reverse, while the other was issued under Marcus Aurelius and reads SALVTI AVGVSTAE S C. The coins illustrated in this essay are from my own collection.

The AVGVSTI PII FIL S C Issue

This coin is only known in the middle bronze denomination. It was part of a larger series of coins characterized by the obverse inscription FAVSTINA AVGVSTA with the filiation AVGVSTI PII FIL moved to the reverse. The reverses of this series feature Concordia (AR and Æ), Diana (AV), Spes (AR and Æ), Venus Victrix (AR and Æ), Pietas (Æ), Pudicitia (Æ), and Salus (Æ). These deities and personifications are not explicitly labeled as such on the coins,[1] but are identified by their characteristic iconography and attributes. As I have discussed in depth elsewhere, these coins date from about August 156 CE to sometime in 157 CE, when the filiation disappears altogether from the empress’s coinage.

The Coin's Distinguishing Features

In addition to the distinctive reverse inscription, the coin has a few other features that (usually) distinguish it from the later SALVTI AVGVSTAE issue. The empress is always depicted bare-headed and wearing the Beckmann Type 5 hairstyle on the AVGVSTI PII FIL issue, whereas she is typically depicted with the type 7 hairstyle on the SALVTI AVGVSTAE reverse type (Types 5 and 9 on some obverse dies, however), and she may or may not wear a stephane. Moreover, on the AVGVSTI PII FIL issue, Salus holds a scepter in her left hand, whereas the goddess simply rests her left arm on her chair on the SALVTI AVGVSTAE type.

Faustina II, 147-175 CE.
Roman Æ as or dupondius, 11.69 g, 26.3 mm, 7 h.
Rome, August 156-157 CE.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: AVGVSTI PII FIL S C, Salus seated left, feeding snake coiled round altar from patera in right hand and holding scepter in left.
Refs: RIC 1391a; BMCRE p. 384*; Cohen 28; Strack 1331; Sear 4723.

The SALVTI AVGVSTAE S C Issue

In contrast to the earlier AVGVSTI PII FIL reverse type, the SALVTI AVGVSTAE reverse type was issued in the aureus, sestertius, and medium bronze denominations, alongside a denarius reading SALVS on its reverse. As I have discussed elsewhere, it was a massive and long-lived issue, dating from just after the birth of Faustina’s twins on 31 August 161 CE to about 164 CE. Beckmann postulates they were issued in response to a health crisis experienced by Faustina.[2] Szaivert believes this issue corresponds to the SALVTI AVGVSTOR types of Marcus and Lucius Verus of 162-164.[3] However, it should be noted that all those coins depict Salus standing and a separate medium bronze depicting Salus standing was issued for Faustina, which may better serve as a parallel to them.

The Coin's Distinguishing Features

In addition to the distinctive reverse inscription, the coin has a few other features that (usually) distinguish it from the earlier AVGVSTI PII FIL issue. The empress is typically depicted wearing the Beckmann Type 7 hairstyle on the SALVTI AVGVSTAE issue, as on my example, below. The older literature describes her as wearing a "strand of pearls," but as I have previously discussed, the Type 7 hairstyle features two braids of hair behind the empress's brow wave, which were mistaken for pearls by Mattingly and by Sear. Rarely, the empress is depicted in the same type 5 coiffure (such as BMCRE 994) as on the AVGVSTI PII FIL issue, which can be confusing. The SALVTI AVGVSTAE issue was issued with both bare-headed and stephaned busts and both are commonly encountered in the numismatic trade. On the stephaned bust types, the empress may be depicted wearing the Beckmann Type 9 hairstyle. As noted above, on the SALVTI AVGVSTAE issue, Salus does not hold a scepter; rather, the goddess simply rests her left arm on her chair. I illustrate a couple varieties of this issue.

Faustina II, 147-175 CE.
Roman orichalcum dupondius, 10.84 g, 26.1 mm, 5 h.
Rome, 161 - c. 164 CE.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust, right (Beckmann Type 7 hairstyle).
Rev: SALVTI AVGVSTAE S C, Salus seated left, feeding snake coiled round altar from patera in right hand and resting left arm on chair.
Refs: RIC 1671a; BMCRE 992-94; Cohen –; RCV –; MIR 30-7/10b.

Faustina II, 147-175 CE.
Roman Æ as or dupondius, 11.67 g, 26.1 mm, 12 h.
Rome, 161- c. 164 CE.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust, right, and wearing stephane (Beckmann Type 9 hairstyle).
Rev: SALVTI AVGVSTAE S C, Salus seated left, feeding snake coiled round altar from patera in right hand and resting left arm on chair.
Refs: RIC 1671; BMCRE 995; Cohen 201; RCV 5303; MIR 30-7/10a, b diad.
Notes: Ex Antonio Carmona Collection.

Do you have examples of either of these? Let's see them! As always, feel free to post comments, coins, and anything you feel is relevant!

~~~

Notes

1. Because all coins bear AVGVSTI PII FIL on the reverse.

2. Beckmann, Martin, Faustina the Younger: Coinage, Portraits, and Public Image, A.N.S. Numismatic Studies 43, American Numismatic Society, New York, 2021, p. 59.

3. Szaivert, Wolfgang, Die Münzprägung der Kaiser Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus und Commodus (161/192), Moneta Imperii Romani 18. Vienna, 1989, p. 230.

Edited September 3, 2023 by Roman Collector
New photo; attribution information for coin

[expat]

Beautiful examples, nice explanations and another step on a learning curve for me. Thank you.

[Marsyas Mike]

Great post as always, @Roman Collector.  Unfortunately, I don't have any of the OP types, but I do have two sestertii of the seated Salus types, both diademned, RIC 1668: 

[Roman Collector]

8 hours ago, Marsyas Mike said:

Great post as always, @Roman Collector.  Unfortunately, I don't have any of the OP types, but I do have two sestertii of the seated Salus types, both diademed, RIC 1668: 

Thank you for your kind words! Your coins well illustrate that the SALVTI AVGVSTAE type may depict the empress with a stephane and with the goddess on the reverse resting her left arm on the chair.