I was told this coin is an AS Ae, and all I can come up with is these two ID's for this Faustina I coin, not to mention mine does not have the SC as part of the lettering on the Reverse: Can I have the correct reference #? Faustina I, AE Sestertius. DIVA FAVSTINA, draped bust right / CONSECRATIO, S-C across fields, Vesta standing left by altar, holding patera and sceptre. RIC 1130; Cohen 162; ----------------------------------------------- Faustina I AE Dupondius. DIVA FAVSTINA, draped bust right / CONSECRATIO S-C, Vesta standing left, sacrificing from patera over altar to left & holding scepter. torch. RIC 1187, Cohen 163.
Your example has the S C in the exergue - there's a similar example of RIC 1130 here (the second BM example): http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.3.ant.1130 It's possible there are similar varieties with S C in the exergue for RIC 1187a (without veil), I didn't look in RIC or BMC. RIC 1187 can be either an as or dupondius - the dupondius is yellower and the as redder and the dupondius is typically heavier. It can be difficult to tell which you have. ATB, Aidan.
The SC is in the exergue. The placement of S C varies from die to die and does not affect the value of the coin. I wonder about tooling on the obverse portrait to accentuate the details of the empress's hair. Here's my example of that coin, a dupondius with a veiled bust type: Faustina I, AD 138--140/41. Roman orichalcum dupondius, 11.73 g, 25 mm, 6 h. Rome, AD 150/51. Obv: DIVA FAV-STINA, veiled and draped bust, right. Rev: CONSECRATIO S C, Vesta, veiled, draped, standing left, sacrificing out of patera in right hand over altar left and holding long lighted torch, vertical, in left. Refs: RIC 1187 B; BMCRE 1594; Cohen 164; RCV 4652 var.
I would say so, given that yours appears to be made of orichalcum rather than copper. Definitely not a sestertius. It's on the lightweight side for either an as or dupondius.
