I'll take it, flan crack and all!

This one is a new acquisition and I'm quite pleased with it. I like it, not despite its squarish flan, flan crack, and encrustations, but because of these characteristics. I think it fits @dougsmit 's notion of a wabi sabi coin. That's what makes it ancient!

Szaivert, following the work of Fittschen, assigns this coin to the period of AD 161-165. Fittschen has suggested that this issue possibly refers to the birth of M. Annius Verus in AD 162, but this is by no means certain.

Post your "wabi sabi" coins, bronzes of Faustina II, or anything you feel is relevant!


Faustina II, AD 147-175.
Roman orichalcum sestertius, 24.87 g, 32.5 mm, 11 h.
Rome, AD 161-165.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust of Faustina II, right, with a double strand of pearls in the hair.
Rev: LAETITIA S C, Laetitia standing facing, head left, holding wreath in right hand and vertical scepter in left hand.
Refs: RIC 1654; BMCRE 924-27; Cohen 149; RCV 5279; MIR 21.

~~~

Fittschen, Klaus, “Die Bildnistypen der Faustina Minor und die Fecunditas Augustae,” Abhandlungen der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Göttingen, Philologisch-historische Klasse, 3rd Series, no.126, Göttingen, 1982.

Szaivert, Wolfgang, Die Münzprägung der Kaiser Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus und Commodus (161/192), Moneta Imperii Romani 18. Vienna, 1989.

 

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I think it has a lovely portrait , congrats Roman.

Only have 2 Sestertii of Faustina II :

 

Just a denarius...

 

Your denarius is of Faustina I (Senior).

 

Some coins are born 'beautiful' (Wabi Sabi in a good sense);


others grow beautiful;


still others have it thrust upon them.

 

This one. Of course, it is only a BM Electrotype by Robert Ready. But the fact that the test cut was placed to blind Athena makes it a "wabi sabi" coin.

 

I have these two dry, crackpot siliquae that I’m quite fond of. Especially Constans with a large flan is a beautiful coin. I’m afraid they will break, but if it happens, I want to repair them with gold, Wabi Sabi style.

 

Terrific photography....as usual...Doug. it's as if I can reach out and touch them.

 

..rose are red, violets are blue...don't just get Faustina, get Fautina ll....

 

Here's a handful of mine that I love because of their peculiarities, not in spite of them.

 

I just love the "Grand Canyon" flan super crack. It adds to the character of the coin and to me screams ancient.





Hadrian (Augustus)
Coin: Brass Sestertius
HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS PP - Laureate bust right, slight drapery
COS III SC - Neptune standing right with his left foot on a prow holding his trident and acrostolium.
Exergue:


Mint: Rome (124-128 AD)
Wt./Size/Axis: 25.30g / 34mm / 6h
References:
RIC II 633
BMCRE 1288
Banti 168
Acquisition/Sale: worthashot101 eBay $0.00 04/20
Notes: Apr 24, 20 - The Gary R. Wilson Collection

The rarer variety with Neptune right.

Acrostolium (Greek: Akrostolion) An ornamental extension of the stem post on the prow of an ancient warship. Often used as a symbol of victory or of power at sea.

 

Heck yeah, @Roman Collector ... When I view a coin, I focus on its history or subject matter. I have a bad (good?) habit of glossing over the "defects". I figger it is a couple thousand years old (most of mine are BCE), and anyone with that age NEEDS to have a few things overlooked!

Great Faustina2!

Here is a crack one one of mine:

When I got this one, I was more interested in "HEY, this is Brutus' buddy! "


RR Gaius Cassius Longinus & P Corn Lentulus Spinther AR den 42 BCE military mint Brutus Cassius Smyrna Libertas r- jug & lituus 18mm 3.3g

 

Super thread, per usual, RC! Cool concept from Doug. It reminds me of kintsukuroi...



Hey hey, Talking Faustina II...better queue up the Beachboys!



I know that I recently posted her (you helped me get a probable ID, but still waiting to get her in hand). So here she is with another of her that I really like for the same reason:




Faustina I
Pietas Sestertius 154-156 AD. Rome mint. Obv: FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL legend with draped bust right. Rev: PIETAS AVG legend with S-C to fields and Pietas standing left, holding flower and cornucopia, child at foot left. RIC 1379; BMC 2177; Cohen 173; Sear 4715. 26.27 grams. 33.80 mm Ex Ares

 

These usually have major flan breaks. I have one with and without:


Samnium Aesernia
AE21
263-240 BCE
Vulcan Left -
Biga
HN Italy 430



Samnium Aesernia
263-240 BCE
AE 20
Vulcan Pilos Tongs
Jupiter Biga

 

I see... At first I thought this thread was about wasabi sauce!

I have some coins with this characteristic, but, being slothful by nature, I'll post a coin that has been around this circuit before. I removed the resin and gunk covering this coin ("Athena and the Frog") since the last posting:

17.0 grams

 

Lovely coins! And i never heard of Wabi Sabi, great way of looking at 'coins with a flaw' in a positive way.
But to be honest, the 'Wabi Sabi' types in my collection are also a compromise between having the scarce type or emperor in my collection and budget. Do I really charish these coins because of their imperfections? Or do I like them, despite their flaws? It's a bit of both, I guess. I do lack a coin in my collection that truly speaks to me, because of its flaws(s).

My current 'flawed' but nevertheless nice coins tend to be off flan, weakly struck or worn, or a combination of these three. Here is an example:

Same for this one, worn, corroded, but lovely portrait!


@dougsmit, I've seen your alexandria coin before, but it still is a really beautiful coin every time I see it again! A perfect example of 'grown beautiful' in my opinion.

 

Love 'em, warts and all!

 

I was kinda going on the Lone Ranger kemosabe thought process...




GELA AR Didrachm 490-480 BCE SILVER Horseman with spear r - Forepart of man-headed bull r

 

Adopted from the recently concluded Roma E-71, this Faustina II has its issues, but I like her early portraits, and this one was a less common leftie. No one else wanted her, so she's mine now.


Faustina II (daughter of A. Pius) AR Denarius. Rome, circa AD 152-153. FAVSTINA AVG PII AVG FIL, draped bust left / CONCORDIA, Concordia seated left, holding flower in right hand and resting left arm on cornucopiae; globe below chair. RIC 502b (Pius); RSC 55. 2.95g, 18mm, 12h.
Near Very Fine; cleaning marks. Rare left-facing portrait.
From the collection of a Yorkshire Gentleman.

And here's another wabi sabi coin I'm fond of. The flan, thin and light, was struck hard enough to produce deep edge splits at three points.


SALONINA
AE Antoninianus. 2.45g, 20.4mm. Mediolanum (Milan) mint, issue 7, AD 266. MIR 36, 1368o; RIC V (sole reign) 67; Cunetio 1786. O: SALONINA AVG, diademed and draped bust right on crescent. R: [VEN]VS VICT, Venus standing left, holding helmet and transverse sceptre and resting left arm on shield.
Ex N. M. McQ. Holmes Collection; ex Normanby Hoard (1985) [IRBCH 854], no. 513 (part of)

 

Here is a sestertius of Faustina I. RIC 1105. On some of these the legend hides Aeternitas's little phoenix, but not this one!



Here is a close up of Aeternitas and the bird: