MATRI CASTRORVM

Here is an unusual type:


Faustina II, wife of Marcus Aurelius
Denarius. 18 mm.
Struck c 176 as DIVA
Faustina Jr. died at Halala in Cappadocia in the winter of 175-6 while accompanying Marcus on his travels.

DIVA FAV-STINAE PIAE, veiled and draped bust right
MATRI CASTRORVM, empress seated left holding phoenix and scepter
two standards before

Sear II 5220. RIC Marcus 753 "Rare"

There is only one other empress for whom the type was issued. I wrote a short web page about the type:

http://augustuscoins.com/ed/MATRI/

I have not seem many coins with this reverse. Does anyone else have one to show?

 

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I've got none of the type but that's a sweet coin. I really like the Domna too

 

I have seen that on sestertii but not a denarius.

 

A neat find

 

I wrote about mine, here, in 2014.


Michael

 

Mine is not very nice but it is what it is.

 

Lovely! I'm still on the lookout for one of these from Faustina Junior or Julia Domna.

 

Seen them from time to time but usually, when I have no $ or they are asking moon money. Would still like one myself.

 

Here's my Domna version:

Julia Domna. AR denarius, Rome, 196–211 CE; 18mm, 3.30g, 8h. BMCRE S58–9, RIC S568, RSC 131. Obv: IVLIA – AUGUSTA; draped bust right. Rx: MATRI CASTR–ORVM; Julia, veiled, seated l. on throne, holding phoenix on globe and scepter; before, two standards. VF.

 

Don't have one of these yet but a super-nice OP coin.

 

Here is an absolutely wonderful sestertius of the type on acsearch:
Divine Faustine Jeune, sesterce de poids lourd, Rome, après 176
A/DIVAE FAV-STINAE PIAE. Buste voilé et drapé à droite, les cheveux relevés en chignon, vu de trois quarts en avant.
R/[MATRI CASTRORVM]/ S C. Divine Faustine assise à gauche, tenant un phénix posé sur un globe et un sceptre transversal ; devant, trois enseignes militaires posées sur une estrade.
TB+, R
Bronze, 32,5 mm, 28,16 g, 5 h.
C.162, RIC.1711, BMC.1556
Provient de la collection Édouard Alhéritière. Flan échancré à trois heures pour ce bel exemplaire revêtu d'une fine patine marron

 

Both the FaustinaII and the Domna come in a couple of subvarieties.

Here is a Faustina II in the same config as the OP coin:

Here is a Julia Domna with a slightly different reverse than the ones shown above, but also for the Matri Castrorum type. Here the figure of the empress is standing over an altar with a patera, rather than seated. The reverse legend break pattern is also different for these two. Too bad they're both grungy.

 

Very nice! I knew I couldn't be the first to discover the attraction of this unusual type.

 

I have a lesser example of RIC 1711 than shown above: