Even though it could be improved detail- and shape-wise, I think this Sestertius of Trajan Decius´ wife is above average in quality for a mid third century bronze coin, with full legends and a big flan. Also it does not show Herennia´s usual reverse, Pudicitia, but the rarer Fecunditas type that was introduced only in 251, presumably to promote the flourishing dynasty after Herennius Etruscus and Hostilian had both been promoted to Caesars. HERENNIA ETRVSCILLA AVG - Diademed, draped bust right, hair ridged in waves, seen three quarters from the front, wearing stephane FECVNDITAS AVG S C – Fecunditas, wearing long dress and cloak, standing left, holding cornucopia in left hand and placing right hand over child standing in front of her and raising both it´s hands. Sestertius, Rome (6th officina) early 251 a.D. (fifth emission of Trajan Decius) 31 mm / 17,55 gr RIC 134a (R), Cohen 9, Banti 3, Sear 9504 After the further elevation of Herennius Etruscus to Augustus around June 251, the reverse legend was expanded to FECUNDITAS AVGG (RIC 135 a), but these are quite rare as both Decius and Herennius perished in the swamps of Abritus just a month later and the new ruler Trebonianus Gallus had no intent to keep promoting the fertility of the old dynasty that was still represented by Herennia and her surviving son Hostilian, who was promoted Augustus by the Senate before the general managed to enter Rome. The only surviving sculpture of Herennia Etruscilla may be the lady depicted on the lid of the famous Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus which is kept in Mainz, Germany (the sarcophagus itself is in Rome): If that is indeed her, it would make it easier to identify the "owner" of this magnificent piece of art. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-great-ludovisi-sarcophagus.301896/#post-2835092 Interestingly, Bulgarian archeologists have recently claimed to have discovered the battlefield of Abritus: http://archaeologyinbulgaria.com/20...-battle-of-abritus-near-bulgarias-dryanovets/
I very much like these late sesterces. The value of the weight of brass may have been worth more than the low silver metallic content of the double denarius of circa 250 AD which was notationaly eight times that of the sestertius. Within a few years the public would figure this out and the mints would cease to issue brass coins of this denomination.
Very nice sestertius. I also have a soft spot for the sestertii that were struck between the reigns of Severus ALexander and Gallienus/Valerian. Some great portraits before things started falling apart at the mint of Rome.
Mine is much more ordinary and illustrates the standard 'unroundness' to be expected. I would call your coin a 'keeper'.
Lovely coin. Mine also has the typical squarish flan: Herennia Etruscilla, AD 249-251 Roman orichalcum sestertius, 14.04 gm, 28.3 mm Rome, AD 250-251 Obv: HERENNIA ETRVSCILLA AVG, diademed and draped bust, right Rev: FECVNDITAS AVG SC, Fecunditas standing left, right hand extended to child standing at her feet; holding cornucopiae Refs: RIC 134a; Sear 9504; Cohen 9; Hunter 12. This one from her husband is pretty square, too: Trajan Decius AD 249-251 Roman Æ sestertius; 26 mm, 15.09 g Rome, AD 250-251 Obv: IMP CMQ TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust right Rev: PANNONIAE S C, the two Pannoniae standing side by side, holding standards Refs: RIC 124a; Cohen 87; Sear 9407; Hunter 54.
I was notified that some of you pushed the "like" button for my OP coin yesterday eventhough it has been drowned down in the old posts graveyard for a long time . I´ll take that as an excuse for some more random research: Banti lists 127 Sestertii of Herennia Etruscilla with the Pudicitia reverse (53 specimens in the Guelma Hoard), but only 10 with Fecunditas, like the OP coin (17 at Guelma). As all of the Pudicitia bronzes feature AVG on the reverse, they must be date from the sole reign of Trajan Decius and must have been the only Sestertius type he struck for his wife during most of his reign. The Fecunditas type must, due to it´s relative rarity, have been introduced late in his reign (8 specimens with AVG listed by Banti, 16 at Guelma) and, unlike the Pudicitia type, continued into the joint reign of Decius and Herennius Etruscus (2 in Banti plus 3 at Guelma with AVGG). There is an even rarer Sestertius (1 specimen in Banti, none at Guelma) of Herennia Etruscilla with a Concordia reverse which only occurs with AVGG and therefore must be her last type in bronze. Could it be that the AVGG on Herennia´s final coins does not even stand for Decius and his elder son, but for their successors Trebonianus Gallus and Hostilian? Concordia would be a fitting message then. Interestingly, there seem to be no Sestertii of Trajan Decius himself been struck during his joint reign with his son (none known with AVGG), just like there are no known bronzes of Herennius Etruscus as Augustus (even though his Mercury type Sestertii are inscribed PIETAS AVGG (like this one: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/new-herennius-etruscus-sestertius.311194/#post-3000557 ). Joint reign types of both father and son do exist as Antoniniani, which prooves that new types were introduced in silver first in order pay the troops and promote the new regime. There may have even been a short stop in bronze production at the roman mint altogether in the summer of 251. Sestertii of Hostilian struck during his tenure as Augustus during his joint reign with Trebonianus Gallus do however feature the AVGG, if only on his Securitas reverse, see here:
Herennia Estrucilla? No sestertius but I have a nice bronze from Viminacium about the same size/weight as a sestertius. I'll post it since this thread has been resurrected... Herennia Etruscilla, (249-251 A.D.) Wife of Trajan Decius AE 28 of Viminacium, 14.2 grams Obverse: HER ETRVSCILLA AVG, draped bust right, in staphane Reverse: PMS COL VIM, female figure (Provincia Moesia) standing, facing left, between bull and lion, AN XII in exergue Reference: BMC 32
Some threads deserve a resurrection. Here is the only Henny Penny Herennia Etruscilla I have owned. A decent and respectable silvery ant. Not a trophy coin, by any means, but most of my first Roman collection wasn't. And I notice you scholarly and wise lot here don't set so much stock in trophy coins anyway. (* Autocorrect didn't even fight me over "Herennia Etruscilla". Went right through. Amazing.)
Interesting coins and writeups ! Herennia Etruscilla, Antoninianus Rome mint, AD 250/251 HER ETRVSCILLA AVG, diademed bust right, with hair ridged in waves PVDICITIA AVG, Pudicitia standing left holding transverse sceptre and drawing veil from her face 3.78 gr, 21 mm Ref : RIV IV # 58b, Cohen # 17, RCV # 9494 Herennia Etruscilla, Sestertius - Rome mint, AD 250 HERENNIA ETRVSCILLA AVG, diademed and draped bust right, hair ridged in waves PVDICITIA AVG, Pudicitia seated left, holding sceptre and drawing veil from face, S C at exergue 16.17 gr Ref : RCV # 9505 var, Q
I hope it is okay to bring up an old post, but it was so good, and so helpful to me that I felt compelled to...which is to say thank you, @Julius Germanicus So here it is, one of the Herennia Etruscilla Fecunditas sestertius with the AVGG reverse. It is on a small, very dumpy flan, but weighs a respectable 17 grams because it is so thick. The portrait is very nice, I think. Herennia Etruscilla Æ Sest. (c. June-July 251 A.D.) Rome Mint [HEREN]NIA ETRVSCILLA AVG, diademed & draped bust r. / FECVNDITAS AVGG, S-C, Fecunditas standing left, holding hand over child with hands raised, cornucopiae in left hand. RIC IV Trajan Decius 135a. (17.08 grams / 25 x 22 mm) eBay Jan. 2024 Note: Dates, emission info: RIC/OCRE: 249-251 A.D. CNG: "Rome mint, 6th officina. 5th emission, AD 251 Cohen 12" Julius Germanicus, Coin Talk: After the further elevation of Herennius Etruscus to Augustus c. June 251, the reverse legend was expanded to FECVNDITAS AVGG (RIC 135 a), but these are quite rare as both Decius & Herennius perished in the swamps of Abritus just a month later..." Since nobody had posted one like this, though it was mentioned in the OP, I thought it justified bringing this thread back to the current decade . But also I want to mention how useful this post was when I was attributing this coin - it came without much by way of attribution and I first thought it was the more common AVG type. But this post made me look again, and I found the second G in AVGG. So again, thank you @Julius Germanicus !
Wow, that is an awesome find! At least theoretically these should be just as rare as the Antoniniani of Herennius Augustus (with the ill-proclaimed Victotria Germanica type) struch in the same month or so. Or could it even be possible that they were struck during the following short co-reign of Hostilian and Treboniannus Gallus (who did not elevate his wife to Augusta in respect for Herennia Etruscilla who survived her deified husband and son?). In any case the small flan and low weight betray the desperate times the empire found itself in in 251 AD.
This was a bit peculiar to research - an acsearch for "135" (which covers as/sestertius) comes up with the as mostly. https://www.acsearch.info/search.ht...de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ot=1¤cy=usd&order=0 But some of these weigh as much as mine which seems to be in the sestertius range during that era: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1277301 Narrowing the search to "135a" came up with the sestertii auctions, 11 of them, with weights all over the place - CNG has a 14 grams and a hefty 23.9 grams! https://www.acsearch.info/search.ht...de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ot=1¤cy=usd&order=0 I suppose mine's an as, but in addition to the relatively heavy weight, it does have a brassy appearance on the highlights, so I'm still leaning towards sestertius. Anyway, thanks again for the OP - it saved me a lot of floundering around with the AVG/AVGG difference.