Faustina Friday – "The stuff that dreams are made of"

Roman Collector · Mar 11, 2022

TGIFF, everybody! Today I'm not going to show you any items in my numophylacium. Instead, I'm going to share the coins I can only dream were in my collection, the stuff that dreams are made of.

So, kick back, enjoy some Roy Orbison theme music, and share your own dream babies! What are your dream coins?

I first learned of this beauty when I was researching a coin of Faustina the Younger I had acquired for my own collection with a similar reverse type. The coin depicts the deified Faustina the Elder being carried aloft to the celestial realm by the eagle of Jupiter.[1] The inscription CONSECRATIO made its first appearance in Roman numismatics on the coinage of Marciana, and thereafter became the standard employed for issues of the divae and divi for centuries. Interestingly, the earliest Roman consecration issues depict eagles, even for the women of the imperial family.

Coins of Faustina the Elder

Sestertius, RIC 1134; BMCRE 1428. British Museum collection.

And on this rare sestertius in the British Museum collection, Faustina is taken to Aeternitas by the winged figure of Victory! I can only dream about owning one of these!

Sestertius, RIC 1132b; BMCRE 1423.

Had I but funds enough and time, to paraphrase Andrew Marvell, I'd buy one of these aurei at the next opportunity. But unless I hit the lottery, I can only dream about it. The reverse depicts Faustina the Elder standing, riding in a quadriga driven by Sol.

Aureus, RIC 383; Roma Numismatics, Ltd., auction 10, lot 801, 27 September 2015.

These PVELLAE FAVSTINIANAE coins come up for auction occasionally, but they are popular and the demand for them keeps them out of my price range. For me, they are the stuff that dreams are made of. During her lifetime, Faustina was involved in assisting charities for the poor and sponsoring the education of Roman children, particularly girls. After her death, Antoninus Pius continued his wife's legacy of charitable work: he established an institution called Puellae Faustinianae ("The Girls of Faustina") to assist orphaned Roman girls. This reverse type commemorates the establishment of this charity.[2]

Denarius, RIC 399a; Vienna RÖ 11280.

This coin is unlisted in RIC, BMCRE, Cohen, Strack and Sear. It's apparently unique and in a museum, so it's one of those coins I can only dream about. Its reverse depicts Cybele riding in a biga of lions, and the only thing cooler than that is Cybele riding in a quadriga of lions!

Denarius, RIC –; Münzkabinett der Universität Göttingen AN-0291.

I have always wanted one of these coins depicting Faustina seated in a shrine on a carpentum drawn by two elephants. There are several coins in both gold and orichalcum depicting this scene to choose from. I'm not picky; I dream about acquiring any of them.

Sestertius, RIC 1112; BMCRE 1501.

Coins of Faustina the Younger

This reverse type is known only the sestertius denomination and it's very rare, so I can only dream of acquiring one for my numophylacium. It is known only from three museum specimens cited by Strack and a single coin sold at auction (this coin).

Sestertius, RIC 1382; Bertolami E-Auction 59, lot 739, 20 May, 2018.

The coinage of Faustina II issued late in the reign of Antoninus Pius (August, AD 156 - AD 157) is characterized by the obverse inscription FAVSTINA AVGVSTA with the filiation AVGVSTI PII FIL moved to the reverse. Most of these are common, but this sestertius depicting Pietas seated and with a child standing before her is quite rare and almost never comes up for auction. Nonetheless, I dream that someday one will and I'll be able to afford it.

Sestertius, RIC 1369; ANS collection 1906.236.413.

This aureus is very rare. The British Museum doesn't even have a copy in its collection. Strack cites examples in Paris and Berlin (this coin). They almost never come up for auction and I could never afford one, anyway. So, one of these aurei is the stuff that dreams are made of. The reverse type commemorates the birth of Fadilla in AD 159. The older girls depicted on the coin are Lucilla and Faustina III.

Aureus, RIC 681; Berlin 18273319.

This one has a delightful reverse design and I've never seen one come up for sale, making it a dream coin. It is posthumous issue for the deified empress, and it depicts Faustina seated left, holding a scepter, between two dancing girls; all three with veils flying above their heads.

Sestertius, RIC 1697; BMCRE 1568.

Dream on, friends!

~~~

Notes

1. Mattingly, Harold, Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, vol. IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. Introduction, indexes and plates. London, BMP, 1968, p. cxliv. Mattingly summarizes the identity of all the winged figures upon which Faustina is carried to heaven in one concise statement: "She has been translated aloft, whether by the eagle of Jupiter, the peacock of Juno, or the winged Victory of Aeternitas herself."

2. Beckmann, Martin. Diva Faustina: Coinage and Cult in Rome and the Provinces. American Numismatic Society, 2012, pp. 53-54.