Faustina I and Faustina II denarii have joined my collection

[thenickelguy]

I wouldn't know where to start with these two for a condensed story telling. So much history about the good mother and not so good daughter. I have been reading everyone's Faustina Friday threads and watching videos and and there's not much I can really add but these two coins are among my ancient favorite Roman coins.

 

Faustina I 100 - 140 AD

Ref Faustina Sr AR Denarius, RIC 378, RSC 136, BMC 461

Also known as Faustina The Elder, Annia Galeria Faustina I, Diva Faustina, Faustina Major or Faustina Senior

Roman empress from 138 to 140 AD and wife of the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius.

Listing Desc:
Diva Favstina Sr., Issue by Antoninus Pius, 146 - 161 AD
Silver Denarius, Rome Mint, 18mm, 3.18 grams
Obverse: DIVA FAVSTINA, Draped bust of Faustina right.
Reverse: CERES, Ceres standing left holding grain ears and long torch.
RIC 378

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Faustina II 130 - 175 AD

Ref Faustina II AR Denarius, RIC 500b, RSC 44, BMC 1078

Faustina II Denarius. FAVSTINA AVG ANTONINI AVG PII FIL, draped bust right /
CONCORDIA, Concordia standing front, head right, raising skirt and holding cornucopiae. RSC 42.

( I do believe Faustina the Younger raised her skirt a time or three ) 

Faustina was the youngest child of emperor Antoninus Pius and empress Faustina the Elder.

Roman empress from 161 to her death as the wife of emperor Marcus Aurelius.

The continuous obverse legend is OK as attributed.
Listing Desc: Faustina Jr., Issue by Antoninus Pius, 147 - 150 AD
Silver Denarius, Rome Mint, 19mm, 3.52 grams
Obverse: FAVSTINA AVG ANTONINI P II FIL, Draped bust of Faustina right.
Reverse: CONCORDIA, Concordia standing right holding hem of skirt and cornucopia.
RIC 500b

 

[Roman Collector]

Those are lovely coins, @thenickelguy! Coingratulations on the new acquisitions to your numophylacium.

In regard to the CERES issue of Faustina the Elder, you might be interested in this edition of Faustina Friday. This, along with the VESTA standing issue, was one of the last coins issued for Faustina I. Here is the one in my collection. It is known with an "all-round" legend, which was used from December 160 to c. 163 CE at the Rome mint. @Barzus has one of these in his collection.

We have something in common when it comes to the CONCORDIA standing denarius with the ANTONINI legend. It is catalogued in my collection as FAUST JR-1, meaning it was the FIRST coin of Faustina the Younger I purchased for my collection!! What a great way to start a collection. This reverse type was used with a couple of different obverse inscriptions and Concordia may face right or left. You may enjoy reading about it here and here (ignore the dates in the first link; I have subsequently learned the longer FAVSTINA AVG ANTONINI AVG PII FIL legend was used for about six months from late AD 151 to early 152).

Here is the example of the type in my own collection -- my first Faustina II.

On your coin, the empress wears the Beckmann Type 2 hairstyle, just as on mine. But she also appears on this type wearing the Beckmann Type 3 hairstyle. The hairstyle was in use for a short time only, likely in AD 151-152, because it appears for the first time in Beckmann's die-linkage study with the FAVSTINA AVG ANTONINI AVG PII FIL obverse inscription, which was in use for about seven or eight months, from the end of summer AD 151 to about June AD 152, and stops shortly after the reinstitution of the FAVSTINA AVG PII AVG FIL legend in the summer of 152, after which time the portrait reverts back to the earlier type 2 portrait. These Type 3 coins are hard to come by, but I was able to acquire one for my collection a couple of years ago. @shanxi has a nice one. Mine is not exactly FDC.

Thank you for sharing your coins. I just can't get enough of the Faustinae!

 

 

[ominus1]

very nice nickel-dude...esp that Fll portrait!  🙂

Edited September 17, 2023 by ominus1