Faustina II Sestertius

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Julius Germanicus, Apr 7, 2017.

  1. Julius Germanicus

    Julius Germanicus Well-Known Member

    Featuring the probably most common of all the ladies to be found on Roman coinage, this Sestertius of Faustina the Younger (minted by her father Antonius Pius) is neither rare nor does it feature spectacular detail.

    But it only cost me 40 Euros, is one of my heaviest Sestertii at 27.28 grams, and due to it´s lustrous Orichalcum surfaces looks like a poor man´s gold medallion :-D

    The most astonishing things about the younger Faustina´s life could be her fertility (she gave Marcus Aurelius around 14 children between 147 and 170 a.d., so the claims of her unfaithfulness cannot all be true) and the number of various hairstyles seen on her portraits.

    P1080312.jpg

    P1080313.jpg

    FAVSTINA AVG PII AVG FIL / S C
    Draped bust right / Diana standing left, holding arrow and resting hand on bow
    Sestertius, Rome 147-161
    31mm / 27,28 gr
    RIC (A.Pius) 1383; C 206; BMC (A.Pius) 2194

    So what are your heaviest Sestertii?

    And can any of the experts here narrow down the date of my coin (according to the hairstyle or whatever)? I only know that it must have been minted after Dec.1, 147, the day she received the title of Augusta.

    Or, on a lighter note, do you know of any queen or empress with more offspring than Faustina? (I can only think about Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresia beating her with 5 sons and 11 daughters)...
     
    Marsyas Mike, dlhill132, TJC and 13 others like this.
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    I have always appreciated the portraiture on the issues for Faustina under her father, Antoninus Pius. This is my favorite sestertius of hers, with a dark patina with orichalcum highlights:

    Faustina Jr VENERI GENETRICI Sestertius.jpg
    Faustina Jr., wife of Marcus Aurelius, Augusta AD 147-175
    Rome, issued under Antoninus Pius, AD 147-150
    22.96 gm; 30.4 mm
    Obv: FAVSTINA AVG PII AVG FIL, diademed and draped bust, r.
    Rev: VENERI GENETRICI SC, Venus Genetrix standing l., holding apple and child in swaddling clothes.
    Refs: RIC 1386b; BMCRE 2145; Sear 4718.
     
    Mikey Zee, dlhill132, TJC and 11 others like this.
  4. stevex6

    stevex6 Random Mayhem

    Sweet coins, fellas ... both are totals winners!!

    :rolleyes::rolleyes:

    Ummm, Faustina Jr, eh?

    Well, I only have an AR example of that fine lady ...


    Faustina Jr II.jpg

    ... yup, it's the the high-fivin' twins
     
    Mikey Zee, dlhill132, TJC and 11 others like this.
  5. ancientcoinguru

    ancientcoinguru Well-Known Member

    I have a dupondius struck under Marcus Aurelius with Faustina Junior on both sides....two for the price of one!
    Faustina Junior brown background.png
    AE Dupondius or As 12.49gm - 27mm
    Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA Bust of Faustina, right, her hair arranged in a chignon behind the head
    Rev: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA bust of Faustina, right, her hair arranged in a chignon behind the head
     

    Attached Files:

    Mikey Zee, dlhill132, Bing and 11 others like this.
  6. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    That's interesting but also a little weird. The obverse dies were usually set in an anvil, whereas the reverse dies were typically hand-held. To mix up the two dies seems difficult to do.
     
    Mikey Zee and ancientcoinguru like this.
  7. Smojo

    Smojo dreamliner

    I've shared these here before.
    Sestertius
    Faustina II[JR]Sestertius.jpg
    Derarius
    20170227_172341.jpg
     
    Mikey Zee, Ajax, dlhill132 and 11 others like this.
  8. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Great FII @Julius Germanicus ! I enjoy that Orichalcum shine!

    I only have a Denarius of hers...

    RI Faustina Jr 161-175 CE Ar Denarius m Marcus Aurelius 17-1mm 3g.jpg
    RI Faustina Jr 161-175 CE Ar Denarius m Marcus Aurelius 17.1mm 3g
     
  9. ro1974

    ro1974 Well-Known Member

    nice faustina
     
  10. Jwt708

    Jwt708 Well-Known Member

    Yes, I jump in on this one!

    [​IMG]

    Faustina the Younger, Rome, AD 128-175
    AE, 31mm, 23.72g; Rome mint
    Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA; draped bust right wearing circlet of pearls
    Rev: IVNONI REGINAE S-C; Juno, veiled, standing left, holding patera & scepter; peacock standing left at feet, head reverted

    This coin is special to me for a couple reasons:
    1. First empress coin!
    2. Big & heavy bronze!
    3. It has a peacock!
    4. And the maybe the most important, @stevex6 was incredibly gracious to gift it to me!
     
  11. ro1974

    ro1974 Well-Known Member

    _DSC74s52.jpg
    faustina As pietas
     
  12. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    The Sestertius and the As of the OP coin:

    Faustina Jr Diana Sestertius and As.jpg
    Faustina Jr., wife of Marcus Aurelius, Augusta AD 147-175
    Rome, issued under Antoninus Pius, AD 154-156
    Æ Sestertius (25.19 g; 31.2 mm) and Æ As (9.75 g; 24.2 mm)
    Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA AVG PII F, bare-headed and draped bust, right
    Rev: S C, Diana standing left, holding arrow and resting on bow.
    Refs: Sestertius: RIC 1383; BMCRE 2180; RCV 4717; As: RIC 1405c (var.); RCV 4733 (var.).
     
    Bing, icerain, randygeki and 6 others like this.
  13. Andres2

    Andres2 Well-Known Member

  14. Mikey Zee

    Mikey Zee Delenda Est Carthago

    Cool posts guys!!!

    WOW !! @ancientcoinguru's dupondius is way interesting to me!

    And, I'll pile on with a dupondius of my own:D


    FAVSTINA AVGVSTA draped bust right. FECVNDITAS S - C Fecunditas standing right, holding long sceptre and infant on outstretched hand. RIC 1639. 12.7 grams

    faustina II duponius.JPG
     
    Bing, icerain, stevex6 and 6 others like this.
  15. Theodosius

    Theodosius Fine Style Seeker

    Really like the OP coin, natural orichalcum looks great to me, go zinc!

    This is an intriguing coin from @ancientcoinguru.

    Is this a mint error or was it deliberate to have the same obverse and reverse?

    I don't think I know any other ancient coin where this is the case?

    Anyone else have something like this?

    John
     
    Mikey Zee and ancientcoinguru like this.
  16. ancientcoinguru

    ancientcoinguru Well-Known Member

    I apologize! I forgot to provide a date or reference for my dupondius...RIC 1719 var C. 92 var., Cohen 92.

    I owe thanks to several CT members for the attribution. @Pishpash found an example on acsearch https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?term=faustina 1719&category=1&en=1&de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ot=1&images=1&currency=usd&thesaurus=1&order=0&company=

    @dougsmit confirmed the RIC attribution and @Roman Collector found the Cohen attribution.

    I bought the coin from Tom Cederlind, who thought it was deliberated minted with the same obverse and reverse.

    It was minted in AD 146 or later, since Faustina Junior was given the title of Augusta on the birth of her first child in AD 146. I have a new camera, here is a better photo
    Faustina Junior dual portrait.png
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2017
    Bing, icerain, stevex6 and 5 others like this.
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page