Got this a while ago from our own @Ken Dorney. I liked the portrait and I only have one other of hers, this is definitely a better coin. Faustina II (Augusta) Region, City: Phrygia, Docimeium Coin: AE ΦΑYСΤEΙΝΑ СEΒΑС - Draped bust of Faustina right. ΔΟΚΙΜEΩΝ - Hygieia standing facing feeding snake from patera. Mint: (147 - 175 AD) Wt./Size/Axis: 3.71g / 18mm / - Rarity: Ex Rare References: SNGCop359 BMC24
What a beautiful and unique portrait of the little tart (if ancient gossip rags are to be believed) Here are my oldest and a recent upgrade: Faustina II (Minor) Sestertius, Rome, AD 161-175; AE, FAVSTINA - AVGVSTA, draped bust r., hair knotted behind with circle of pearls, Rv. HIL - A - RITAS, Hilaritasstanding l., holding palm branch and cornucopiae; in field, S - C. RIC 1642; C 112.Dark patina, Faustina Junior, Augusta, 147-175. Sestertius (Orichalcum, 32 mm, 26.60 g, 11 h), struck under Marcus Aurelius, Rome, 161-164. FAVSTINA AVGVSTA Diademed and draped bust of Faustina II to right. Rev. SALVTI AVGVSTAE / S C Salus seated left, feeding snake rising from an altar to left. Banti104. Cohen 200. RIC 1668 (Aurelius). Ex: Savoca
Great coins! I really like that portrait @Pishpash. @Ryro, that Sestertius has a great portrait as well. My son and I have 2 Faustinas. FFIVN's Faustina II: Faustina II AE As Obverse: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust right Reverse: IVNO S-C, Juno standing left, peacock at her feet left My Faustina II: Faustina II Denarius Obverse: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust right Reverse: AVGVSTI PII FIL, Venus standing left holding Victory & resting hand on shield set on a helmet
Nice coins everybody. I just got a new Faustina II - it is rough, and common, but I thought it was interesting how the reverse "O" in "CONCORDIA" suffers from a filled-in die (I presume) and so looks like a solar disc (or a bowling ball) over her head. Poking around the web looking for other examples (and there are a lot of them), I noticed that very few have, like mine does, a continuous reverse legend. Most of them break for Concordia's head. Not a big deal, but flyspecking is slowly becoming one of my favorite things: Faustina II Denarius (154-156 A.D.) Rome Mint FAVSTINA AVG PII AVG FIL, draped bust right / CONCORDIA, Concordia seated left, holding flower and resting left arm on cornucopiae set on globe below seat. RIC 502a; RSC 54; Sear 4704. (3.02 grams / 17 mm)
That's absolutely lovely, @Pishpash , demonstrating one of her earliest hairstyles. Not only that, but Docimeium isn't one of the more commonly encountered provincial mints. Here's a denarius with the same coiffure, issued AD 150-152, under Antoninus Pius: Here's the listing in the British Museum collection online; unfortunately, they have not yet photographed most of their Roman provincial coins.
Interesting observation! The British Museum has four examples (two of the five shown in the link have a different obverse legend and one is unpictured), BMC4, pp. 164-65. None of them have an unbroken reverse legend: Here's mine:
Thanks for digging up this British Museum info, RC - I thought I'd found some other continuous reverse legend examples when I was researching this, but now I cannot find them. OCRE has 39 examples: http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.3.ant.502Aa Maybe mine is a fake? It appears to be good silver, and the wear seems pretty authentic, but the reverse Concordia is very small compared to the others I've seen.
nice one pish....my only Faustina II... Faustina II, AR denarius, FAVSTINA AVGVSTA Diademed and draped bust right. / FECVNDITAS, Fecunditas standing right, holding scepter and infant. 18.25mm 2.5g RIC III 677
If you’re a fan of Faustina II, this is for sale from Christies Auction right now : a marble portrait head of the empress , 15 inch high, circa 161-176 AD. Estimation: 150000-225000 US$..... The present example depicts Faustina Minor in her eighth and penultimate portrait type. This type was commissioned to commemorate the accession of Marcus Aurelius in 161 AD, and the birth of Marcus Annius Verus in 162 AD. Good luck on your bidding !
Here's my only Faustina II ...Looks to be the same as Roman Collectors.. Faustina II Junior Silver Denarius 3.36g.,17mm, Rome mint, A.D. 154-156, Obverse. FAVSTINA AVG-PIIAVGFIL Draped bust of Faustina right, Reverse. CONC-O-RDIA, Concordia seated left, holding flower & resting left arm on cornucopiae set on globe below seat. (RCV 4704; RIC 502a)
Here's a denarius I picked up last month of FII with Venus reverse: Faustina II, Wife of Marcus Aurelius who ruled AR Denarius, Struck under Antioninus Pius 145-161 AD, Rome mint Obverse: FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, Bust of Faustina the Younger, band of pearls round head, with hair waived and coiled on back of head, draped, right. Reverse: VENVS, Venus, draped, standing left, holding apple in right hand and rudder set on dolphin, which coils round it, in left. References: RIC III 517c I have a new sestertius of hers, a Spes reverse that will go along with my fledgling Spes sub-collection, that is sitting in my mailbox and so be until Saturday. I'll post it then... So excited!
Quite possibly my favourite coin. Sear 4732 / Dupondius or As FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL PUDICITIA SC 11.51g, 26mm
