Even a seasoned numismatist might be disinclined to obtain this coin. You might be put off by the corrosion pit below the empress's ear. You might pass on it because of its oblong flan. You might say to yourself, "I'll wait for one with a more complete reverse legend." But you'd be wrong to do so. This coin may well be only the third known example, making it a great rarity. Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman Æ as or dupondius, 11.21 g, 25.2 mm, 11 h. Rome, AD 162-164. Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust of Faustina, right, wearing strand of pearls. Rev: SALVTI AVGVSTAE S C, Salus standing left, feeding snake coiled round altar from patera in right hand and holding short vertical scepter in left hand. Refs: RIC 1672; Cohen 205; BMCRE p. 542 note; RCV --; MIR --. CT member @S.Triggs found the coin earlier this year, which we discussed in this thread. He was kind enough to sell it to me for my collection and it arrived in the mail a few days ago. The gist of the discussion was that it was known to Cohen from a single example in the Staatliches Münzkabinett in Vienna. RIC and BMCRE each cite Cohen. A second example was found in 1984 at Stonea Grange in Cambridgeshire, which was obtained by the British Museum, apparently with an illegible reverse legend. The coin is not photographed, unfortunately. In contrast to the version with Salus seated ... ... the version with Salus standing is not to be found at acsearchinfo, OCRE, or at Wildwinds. This indicates that no copies have been sold at major auctions in the past few decades and none of the major university and museum collections of Europe and North America have an example. In the aforementioned discussion, Curtis Clay noted no further specimens in Lanz Graz IV, 1974, Roman Middle Bronzes; nor in the Berk photofile based on catalogues and lists of c. 1970-1990. There are thus three known specimens: The one in the Staatliches Münzkabinett in Vienna cited by Cohen. The one in the British Museum found in Cambridgeshire in 1984. This coin. The coin can be dated to AD 161-164 on the basis of Faustina's hairstyle, but its date can be further narrowed to AD 162-164, because it was almost certainly issued in conjunction with the SALVTI AVGVSTOR issues of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus minted during those years, such as this sestertius of Marcus in the British Museum Collection (RIC 843; BMCRE 1038). Post your coins of Salus or of Faustina, or coins in your collection known from only a handful of examples, or anything you feel is relevant!
Great coin, RC. The condition looks quite acceptable to me, especially given the rarity. I have an unappetizing Salus-standing dupondius for Marcus Aurelius, though it appears to be later than the issue you cite, probably issued with Andres2's denarius: Marcus Aurelius Æ Dupondius (168-169 A.D.) Rome Mint M ANTO[NINVS AVG TRP] XXIII, radiate head right / [SAL]VTI AV[G COS III] S C Salus standing left, feeding snake coiled around altar, holding long scepter. RIC III 965; BMC 1353. (7.52 grams / 24 x 23 mm) Looking around the Antonine women issues I have, I did find a seated Salus for Crispina (but no Faustinas): Crispina (wife of Commodus) Æ Sestertius Rome Mint (180-183 A.D.) CRISPINA AVGVSTA, draped bust right / AL[VS] S-C, Salus seated left, feeding a serpent coiled around altar from patera held in right hand. RIC 672a, Cohen 33, BMC 420 (18.99 grams / 28 mm)
Here are Elagabalus and Philip I with Salus feeding the snake. And a little song for your Faustina because "girls they wanna have fun", don't they ? ( the rockin version...)
An interesting coin, particularly as there seem to be no corresponding sestertii, aurei, or denarii. Nor is SALVTI AVGVSTAE standing a type of Lucilla, which might just have been used by mistake for Faustina. I'm not convinced that Faustina's SALVTI AVGVSTAE standing type is the equivalent of Marcus and Verus' SALVTI AVGVSTOR type or 162-4 however, firstly because of a typological difference, Salus' left arm bent upwards at the elbow for Faustina but extended downwards for Marcus and Verus, secondly because of the different denominations and volumes of production, Faustina having only rare middle bronzes, but Marcus and Verus comparatively common aurei, sestertii, and middle bronzes. Regarding Faustina's children: would you be able to send me scans of Barbara Levick's relevant three pages? I would be interested to read her suggestions, and it would also help me decide whether or not to purchase her Faustina and Julia Domna books. My e-mail: curtis (at) hjbltd.com
I believed that I have a ''Salus seated'' As of Faustina II , but when I looked closer seems to be something else. The only women I found seated left, holding sceptre is Venus, and I can read V.N....(possible VENVS FELIX) The only part of obvers legend I can read are the last letters on left .....E AVG .........(possible FAVSTINAE AVG... ?) . With this obverse legend I cannot find a VENVS FELIX. Can you please help ? 24 mm / 9 grams
My only Salus coin is from the Republic: Roman Republic, Manius Acilius Glabrio, AR Denarius, 50 BCE (Harlan and BMCRR) or 49 BCE (Crawford), Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate head of Salus right, wearing necklace and earring, with hair collected behind in knot ornamented with jewels, SALVTIS upwards behind head / Rev. Valetudo* [Harlan says portrayal is of a statue of Valetudo] standing left, holding snake with right hand and resting left arm on column, MN•ACILIVS [downwards on right] III•VIR•VALETV [upwards on left] [MN and TV monogrammed]. RSC I Acilia 8, Crawford 442/1a, Sydenham 922, Sear RCV I 412 (ill.), Harlan, RRM II Ch. 30 at pp. 229-238, BMCRR Rome 3945. 17.5 mm., 3.98 g. * Valetudo was essentially another manifestation of Salus (portrayed on the obverse), the goddess of health and well-being -- a concept sometimes “extended to include not only physical health but also the general welfare of the Roman people, the army and the state.” John Melville Jones, Dictionary of Ancient Roman Coins (London, 1990) at p. 276. This is the only Roman coin to depict a personification of Valetudo. See id. at p. 314.
@Roman Collector, between the coin, and your prose, I'm kind of stuck on a scratch loop, vaguely along the lines of (with reverential pauses: ) 'Church. Of God. In Christ.' --Hope that didn't cross a line where religious rhetoric is concerned.
I thought something was up when I noticed the drop shadows - !!! But then again I gather that you can excel in whatever you put your mind to.
Ha! Thanks, but I will never put my mind to photography any more complicated than pointing my cellphone at a coin and going "click." Technology is not my strong suit.
Roman Collector, Did you perhaps overlook my request above in this thread whether you could send me scans of the three "children" pages of Levick's Faustina book? Regards, Curtis Clay
