TGIFF, everybody! Today we're going to talk about Laetitia. There are many words in Latin for "happiness" which appear on Roman coins. Felicitas connotes contentment, hilaritas connotes rejoicing, and laetitia connotes a feeling of joy, exultation, rejoicing, gladness, pleasure, or delight. Personifications of Felicitas, Hilaritas, and Laetitia commonly occur on Roman coins. Unsurprisingly, all three appear on the coinage issued for Faustina II. However, most relevant to the discussion at hand, is that the Latin word laetitia also carries connotations of fertility.[1] Laetitia is personified on Roman coins as a Roman matron, clad in the stola and palla, holding a scepter, ears of grain, a wreath, an anchor or a rudder on globe.[2] Coins depicting Laetitia as a reverse type were issued twice in Faustina's lifetime, each time in conjunction with the birth of a child, the first time in December, AD 147 to commemorate the birth of Faustina's first child, Domitia Faustina,[3] and again in late AD 162 to commemorate the birth of Marcus Annius Verus.[4] The first Laetitia types were struck under Antoninus Pius and were issued in the aureus, denarius, sestertius, and middle bronze denominations. These coins carry the dative obverse inscription FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL and depict the empress in her earliest hairstyle. The empress may be depicted bare-headed, wearing a circlet of pearls around her head, or wearing a stephane. With the exception of the sestertius, which is not known with the bare-headed bust type, all three bust types appear on all denominations. The portrait always appears right-facing. The reverse features the dative inscription LAETITIAE PVBLICAE ("for public rejoicing") and depicts Laetitia standing facing, head left, holding a wreath in her right hand and a scepter in her left. Here are some examples, chosen to demonstrate the various denominations and bust types (all coins from my collection unless indicated otherwise). Aureus depicting the empress wearing a circlet of pearls around her head, British Museum collection, RIC 506b, BMCRE 1046. Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman AR denarius, 3.03 g, 17.4 mm, 5 h. Rome, December AD 147- early 148. Obv: FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: LAETITIAE PVBLICAE, Laetitia standing left, holding wreath in in right hand and vertical scepter in left hand. Refs: RIC 506a; BMCRE 1048; Cohen/RSC 155; Strack 491; RCV 4705; CRE 195. Sestertius depicting the empress wearing the stephane, British Museum collection, RIC 1378c; BMCRE 2139. Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman Æ as or dupondius, 10.71 g, 27.6 mm, 12 h. Rome, December AD 147- early 148. Obv: FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, bare-headed and draped bust, right. Rev: LAETITIAE PVBLICAE, Laetitia standing left, holding wreath in in right hand and vertical scepter in left hand. Refs: RIC 1401b; BMCRE 2155-56; Cohen 158; Strack 1300; RCV 4729. The second Laetitia types were struck under Marcus Aurelius and similarly were issued in the aureus, denarius, sestertius, and middle bronze denominations. These coins carry the nominative obverse inscription FAVSTINA AVGVSTA and depict the empress in the Beckmann type 7, 8, or 9 hairstyle. Of these, the type 7 hairstyle is by far the most frequently encountered. The empress may be depicted bare-headed, wearing a circlet or double circlet of pearls around her head, or wearing a stephane. The portrait always appears right-facing. The reverse features the nominative inscription LAETITIA ("rejoicing")[5] and depicts either Laetitia standing facing, head left, holding a wreath in her right hand and a scepter in her left, or the mirror image of the reverse: Laetitia standing facing, head right, holding a scepter in her right hand and a wreath in her left. This "mirror image" reverse does not appear on the aureus but is known on the three other denominations Here are some examples, chosen to demonstrate the various denominations, hairstyles, and reverse orientations (all coins from my collection unless indicated otherwise). Aureus, Beckmann type 9 hairstyle, RIC 699, ANS 1959.228.2. Aureus, Beckmann type 8 hairstyle, RIC 699, Münzkabinett Berlin 18273321. Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman AR denarius, 2.60 g, 18.1 mm, 5 h. Rome, late AD 162- early 163. Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust right, Beckmann type 7 hairstyle and wearing a double circlet of pearls. Rev: LAETITIA, Laetitia standing facing, head left, holding wreath and scepter. Refs: RIC 700; BMCRE --; Cohen 147; RCV 5258 var; CRE 197. Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman AR denarius, 3.41 g, 18.7 mm, 11 h. Rome, late AD 162- early 163. Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust right, Beckmann type 7 hairstyle and wearing stephane. Rev: LAETITIA, Laetitia standing left, holding wreath and scepter. Refs: RIC 701; BMCRE 129-131; Cohen 148; RCV --; MIR 21-4/10b diad.; CRE 198. Faustina II, AD 147-175. Roman orichalcum sestertius, 24.69 g, 32 mm, 11 h. Rome, late AD 162- early 163. Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust right, Beckmann type 7 hairstyle and wearing a double circlet of pearls. Rev: LAETITIA S C, Laetitia standing facing, head right, holding vertical scepter in right hand and wreath in left hand. Refs: RIC --; BMCRE --; Cohen --; RCV --; MIR 21-6/10b. Note: Rare, mirror-image reverse type. Faustina II, AD 147-176. Roman Æ dupondius or as, 10.80 g, 24.7 mm, 11 h. Rome, late AD 162- early 163. Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust right, Beckmann type 7 hairstyle and wearing a double circlet of pearls. Rev: LAETITIA S C, Laetitia standing facing, head left, holding wreath in right hand and vertical scepter in left hand. Refs: RIC 1656; BMCRE 988; Cohen 151 var. (pearls); RCV --; MIR21-7/10b. Let's see your coins depicting Laetitia, commemorating the birth of any of Faustina's children, or anything you feel is relevant! ~~~ Notes 1. Lewis, Charlton Thomas, et al. A Latin Dictionary: Founded on Andrews' Edition of Freund's Latin Dictionary, Rev., ENL. and in Great Part Rewritten by Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short. Clarendon, 1879, s.v. laetitia, II. See also: Glare, P.G.W. Oxford Latin Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 2016; s.v. laetus, 1. 2. Vagi, David L. Coinage and History of the Roman Empire. Vol. 2, Coinworld, 1999, p. 69. See also Sear, David R. Roman Coins and Their Values. II, Spink, 2002, p. 39. 3. Beckmann, Martin, Faustina the Younger: Coinage, Portraits, and Public Image, A.N.S. Numismatic Studies 43, American Numismatic Society, New York, 2021, pp. 24 ff. 4. This had been suggested by Szaivert but later definitively demonstrated by Beckmann’s die-linkage study of the aurei of Faustina II. See Szaivert, Wolfgang, Die Münzprägung der Kaiser Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus und Commodus (161/192), Moneta Imperii Romani 18. Vienna, 1989, p. 230, and Beckmann, op. cit., pp. 60-61. 5. The denarius in the French national collection with the reverse inscription LAETITIA PVB cited by Cohen (no. 153) and in turn by RIC (no. 703) and BMCRE (p.402n*) is a fourrée and not an official issue. Cohen, Henry. Description historique des monnaies frappées sous l'Empire Romain, Tome III: de Marc Aurèle à Albin (161 à 197 après J.-C.). Paris, 1883, p. 148.
Interesting post. I didn't know that the Laetitia-types of Faustina refered to the safe arrival of imperial offspring. Now I wonder whether the same is true for Laetitia-reverses minted for later rulers? My only two coins showing Laetitia were minted for Philip I and Tetricus: Philip I “the Arab,” Roman Empire, AR antoninian, 244–247 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG; bust of Philip the Arab, radiate, draped, cuirassed, r. Rev: LAETIT FVNDAT; Laetitia, draped, standing l., holding wreath and rudder. 24.5mm, 4.37g. Ref: RIC IV Philip I 36. Tetricus I, Gallic Roman Empire, AE antoninianus, 272–273 AD, Trier mint. Obv: IMP C TETRICVS [PF AVG]; radiate bust of Tetricus r. Rev: LAE[TIT]IA AVGG; Laetitia standing l, holding wreath and anchor. 18mm, 2.53g. Ref: Mairat 797; RIC V,2 Tetricus 87.
I was more than happy to acquire this Faustina denarius one month ago, for me, a decent coin with a decent price and also a very pleasant design Faustina II AD 147-175. Rome Denarius AR; AD 160 (December). 17 mm, 3,16 g FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, Draped bust right, hair in chignon behind / FECVND AVGVSTAE, Faustina as Fecunditas, standing front, head left, holding infant in each arm, two other young children standing beside her to left and right, holding onto her gown RIC III Marcus Aurelius 676, RSC II 95, Sear RCV II 5251, BMCRE 89 My only Laetitia coin, from my first ancient purchase Gordian III IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG. Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right / LAETITIA AVG N. Laetitia standing right with wreath and anchor RIC IV-3 86. Rome mint, A.D. 241-243.
Another terrific FF, RC. These tend to provoke me into updating my attributions to conform to the latest information (Beckmann, etc.) that you post - I appreciate your efforts! I have two Laetitia types for Faustina II, which I have tried to update (please let me know if I made any mistakes). First one is an early denarius - perhaps my favorite FII portrait in my collection: Faustina II Denarius (147-early 148 A.D.) Rome Mint FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, bare-headed and draped bust right / LAETITIAE PVBLICAE, Laetitia standing left, holding wreath and sceptre. RIC III Antoninus Pius 506a; BMCRE 1048; Cohen/RSC 155. (2.95 grams / 18 mm) eBay Apr. 2018 And a worn sestertius: Faustina II Æ Sestertius (late 162-early 163 A.D.) Rome Mint [FA]VSTINA AV[GVSTA], draped bust right, double circlet of pearls / L[AETITI]A S C, Laetitia standing left holding wreath and scepter. RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1654; BMCRE 924-27; Cohen 149. (26.54 grams / 31 mm) eBay Feb. 2018 Not Faustina, but keeping it in the family, I got this one in January: Crispina Æ As (c. 180-183 A.D.) Rome Mint [C]RISPINA AVGVSTA, draped bust right / LAETI[TIA] S-C, Laetitia standing left, holding wreath and rudder on globe. RIC III Commodus 683 (as). (9.88 grams / 25 x 21 mm) Dupondius or as for type. eBay Jan. 2022 Ck
Great write-up and coin show. I have two Laetitia reverses: Faustina II (147-175 AD). AR Denarius , Rome 147-149 AD Obverse: FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, draped bust to right. Reverse: LAETITIAE PVBLICAE, Laetitia standing left. Reference: BMC 1048. RIC 506b. Diameter: 19mm. Weight: 2.96g Conservation: Very fine Then there’s a quite different Laetitia reverse; Postumus’ galley: Postumus, 260-60 AD AR Antoninianus, Treveri (Trier) Mint 261 AD Obverse: IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right Reverse: LAETITIA AVG, galley left with four rowers and pilot. Size: 24mm Weight: 3.4g Reference: RIC 73, RSC 167, Sear 10958. Do you have any idea what the connection between Laetitia and the galley might have been?
Weirdly, just received this one today. A » not often seen » Victorinus with LAETITIA AVG on reverse; I haven’t seen one for sale for many years ! And I was also planning to write a thread about this personnification ! Please RC, STAY OUT OF MY HEAD ! Trier 19mm 2.55g IMP C VICTORINVS PF AVG / LAETITIA AVG N Laetitia holding wreath & anchor
Know what's so wonderful about the way you do your threads? They always enlighten me Here's my post st Patrick's day minty green Lae titias: Claudius II Gothicus. A.D. 268-270. AE antoninianus Rome mint. IMP CLAVDIVS AVG, radiate head right / LAETITA AVG, Laetitia standing left, holding wreath and anchor; X-II in fields. RIC 56
So the only coin featuring Laetitia that I have is a sestertius of Gordian III that I picked up for $6. It isn't the best but I like the honest wear on it. Bonus points that it is my 3rd child's favorite coin to hold and play with when his older brother and sister are looking at coins with me Gordian III AE Sestertius Obverse: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right Reverse: LAETITIA AVG N SC, Laetitia standing left, with wreath and anchor To keep it Faustina related...I am proud to present FFIVN and his sister FFIVNA holding sestertii of Faustina and Faustina II that are from the ex: @Roman Collector collection. They arrived yesterday and the kids couldn't be more excited. There is one coin for each of my 4 tadpoles but I couldn't get the youngest 2 in the picture. It was past the 3rd's bed time and the 4th still doesn't have a good grasp on how to hold things, being that he is 2mos old We are all very excited and thankful to have been gifted these coins and plan to make a post dedicated to them in the future once we have properly identified them. Until that time comes, I will leave you with a picture of my 2 oldest holding their newest treasures
Elmer interpreted this reverse as the departure of Postumus for an expedition on the coast or to Britain. Lafaurie argued that the reverse legend LAETITIA AVG may refer to the celebrations of the New Year (carrus navalis). An interesting story : In 1981, remains of five ships dated to the 4th century were discovered in Mainz. They were identified as small military vessels that were used by the Roman troops in Germania and a full-sized vessel, or navis lusoria, was reconstructed. The similarity of these ships with the reverse of Postumus is striking and it seems to confirm that the galley reverse may well allude to a military expedition on the Rhine !
Bronze coin (AE Antoninianus) minted during the reign of TETRICUS I between 270 - 273 A.D. Obv. IMP.C.C.P.TETRICVS.P.F.AVG.: Radiate, draped, bust r. Rev. LAETITIA.AVGG.: Laetitia standing l., holding wreath & anchor. RCS #3178. RICV #87 pg.408. DVM #5.
My one coin with a Laetitia legend depicts not depict Laetitia herself but Ceres and Proserpina -- representing Faustina II and either Lucilla or another daughter -- as I'm sure @Roman Collector remembers from the original thread (which involved a disagreement on which child is represented on this coin): Antoninus Pius AV Aureus, AD 150-151 [see fn], Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate head right, ANTONINVS AVG – PIUS P P TR P XIIII / Rev. On left, Ceres [possibly representing Faustina II] standing three-quarters facing, head right, holding two grain ears in right hand; on right, Proserpina standing facing, head left, next to her mother, holding pomegranate in extended left hand, the two gazing at and embracing each other [possibly celebrating birth of Lucilla in AD 151, and, as a result, the restoration of a granddaughter to the Imperial family; hence the reverse inscription naming Laetitia, the personification of joy; see fn.], LAETITIA – COS IIII. 19 mm., 6.89 g., 6 h. RIC III 199c [“Scarce”] (see http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.3.ant.199C); Cohen 476; Sear RCV II 4008; BMCRE IV Antoninus Pius 725 & Pl. 15 No. 14; Strack 224 [Strack, Paul L., Untersuchungen zur römischen Reichsprägung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil III: Die Reichsprägung zur Zeit Antoninus Pius (Stuttgart, 1937)]; Calicó 1556 [Calicó, E. Xavier, The Roman Avrei, Vol. I: From the Republic to Pertinax, 196 BC - 193 AD (Barcelona, 2003)]; Dinsdale 037180 [Dinsdale, Paul H, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius Caesar AD 138-161: Antonine Coinage (2nd Rev. ed., Leeds 2021) Ch. 18 at p. 421; photo at same page, indicating a probable obverse die match to my specimen] [see http://romanpaulus.x10host.com/Anto...- TR POT XIIII Period - 150-151 (med_res).pdf.]* Purchased from Arete Coins [George Matev], Seattle, WA, Feb. 2022; ex. Classical Numismatic Group [CNG] E-Auction 360, Sep. 30, 2015, Lot 458 (from “Group SGF” Collection); ex. Jesús Vico, S.A., Auction 141, Mar. 5, 2015, Lot 121.** *My example also appears to be an obverse die match to the specimen at the Münzkabinett Berlin; see http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.3.ant.199C and photo of obverse at https://ikmk.smb.museum/image/18273198/vs_exp.jpg. **This type (with its minor variations in the obverse portrait [see RIC 199a-b, Dinsdale 037150, 037160, 037170] as well as in the placement of “COS IIII” in the reverse exergue in some dies [see Dinsdale 037200]), is one of only two representations of Proserpina, with or without her mother Ceres, on Roman Imperial coinage. (The only other such representation is on the reverse of an antoninianus of Claudius II Gothicus, depicting the pair facing each other, each holding a long-handled torch; see MER-RIC V.1 No. 1072 [temp.], at https://ric.mom.fr/en/coin/1072?from=map&Mint=Antioch&mod=result&page=7&hpp=10.). All attempts to date this issue have necessarily been based on the TR P XIIII in the obverse inscription, signifying the 14th annual renewal of Antoninus Pius’s tribunician power [“Tribunicia Potestas”]. (The “COS IIII” on the reverse is of no assistance, since Antoninus held the consulship for the fourth time in AD 145, and never held a fifth.) See the explanation at Sear RCV II p. 72 of the significance of renewals of tribunician power in dating Roman Imperial coins: “As the emperor [Augustus] wished the tribunician power to be regarded as the basis for his authority it was natural that he should introduce the custom of reckoning the years of his reign by the date of its symbolic annual renewal. The precedent having thus been instituted, this became the normal practice of Augustus’ successors and the number of annual renewals of the tribunican power, appearing regularly in the inscriptions on the coinage, provide valuable evidence in establishing the numismatic chronology of each reign.” According to the traditional chronology, Antoninus Pius’s 13th renewal of the tribunician power (TR P XIII) ran from 149-150, and his 14th year (TR P XIIII) from 150-151, meaning that this aureus must have been issued in either 150 or 151. See the table of TR POT years for Antoninus Pius at Sear RCV II pp. 76-77. More specifically: “The method employed for selecting the actual date of this annual renewal seems to have varied from reign to reign. Some emperors used the day of its initial conferment (June 27 in the case of Augustus), whilst others preferred the traditional Republican date for the appointment of the tribunes (December 10th). Yet another practice was to renew on January 1st, thus making the tribunician year coincide with the calendar year.” Id. p. 72. In the case of Antoninus Pius’s tribunician day, according to Curtis L. Clay, “we know it was 10 Dec. by the end of his reign in 161, and that day has been assumed to go back to at least 147, when Marcus was voted that same power.” (See his Aug. 19, 2014 post on the Forvm discussion board, at https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=97313.msg601699#msg601699.) Using that date, Antoninus’s 14th tribunician year ran from Dec. 10, AD 150 to Dec. 10, AD 151, and this aureus must have been issued during that period. See, e.g., Dinsdale, supra, Ch. 18 at p. 421, listing the aurei of Antoninus Pius’s “TR POT XIII Period, Dec. 150 – Dec. 151,” including this aureus (Dinsdale 037180). However, in a post on Forvm Ancient Coins dated Aug. 22, 2014 (see https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=97313.msg601994#msg601994), as well as in a more recent post at Coin Talk on Nov. 22, 2020 (see https://www.cointalk.com/threads/questions-about-new-faustina-ii-denarius.370212/page-2#post-5143304), Curtis L. Clay has proposed that at the time of Antoninus Pius’s 13th-15th tribunician years, his tribunician day was instead the anniversary of Hadrian’s original conferral of tribunician power on Antoninus Pius when he adopted him and the Senate proclaimed him Caesar in AD 138, namely Feb. 25. See Aug. 22, 2014 post, supra (Antoninus’s tribunician day during this period was not Dec. 10 but “25 February, when Hadrian had adopted Antoninus”); Nov. 22, 2020 post, supra (“Perhaps Antoninus' tribunician day was . . . when his tribunician assembly met, 25 Feb. having been the day when Hadrian adopted him and the Senate proclaimed him Caesar”). Thus, Antoninus Pius’s 14th tribunician year would have run not from 25 Dec. 150 – 25 Dec. 151, but began and ended a few months later, running from 25 Feb. 151 to 25 Feb. 152, meaning that this coin was minted during that period. In both comments, Curtis L. Clay used this chronological discussion (and a parallel discussion of the dates of Marcus Aurelius’s tribunician years as Caesar, omitted here) to propose that the reverse of this aureus, depicting Ceres and Proserpina together with the legend LAETITIA (Joy), actually celebrates the birth of Lucilla to Faustina II on 7 March, 151 – after she and Marcus Aurelius had been childless for a period of time, because their first two children, a girl born in 147 and a son born in 148-49, depicted together on a coin with crossed cornucopiae, had both died by March 149. See Aug 22, 2014 post, supra: “I think we can say with fair certainty that Lucilla was born on 7 March 151 not 152. In the first place, Lucilla can hardly have been born on 7 March 152, since the Ostian Fasti record that in that same year Faustina also gave birth to a son, who however apparently immediately died; see text and discussion in Strack, pp. 117-8. But after 7 March 152 only nine months and three weeks remained before the end of 152, a very short time indeed in which to produce another child! Of course we should not exclude a premature birth, which might fit with the immediate death of the baby, but still it seems unlikely. Unfortunately the exact date of the baby's birth and death is lost from the fragmentary Fasti, but these events are recorded more towards the beginning than the end of the 15 lines of text devoted to the year 152. Secondly, dating Lucilla's birth to 7 March 151 allows a rather attractive interpretation of the LAETITIA COS IIII type on Antoninus' aurei, showing Ceres embracing her daughter Proserpina (image below), which was apparently produced at exactly this time. The type belongs to the beginning of Antoninus' 14th tribunician year, which I think began on 25 Feb. 151, because though most of the surviving specimens are dated TR P XIIII, one has the numeral of the preceding year, TR P XIII. The type shows Ceres welcoming her daughter back from the underworld, a fitting analogy, it would seem, for Faustina II giving birth to another daughter, after the tragic deaths of her first daughter and son at very young ages! The course of events, then, might have been: On 25 Feb. 151 Antoninus began his 14th tribunician year; Marcus, still being childless, had renounced that power so continued calling himself TR P III. On 7 March 151 Faustina gave birth to Lucilla, an event which was commemorated by the LAETITIA type, mostly struck from TR P XIIII obv. dies, but also, erroneously, from one TR P XIII die which had remained in use in the new tribunician year.” [Discussion of Marcus’s resumption of tribunician power in 152, as TR P VI, omitted.] (https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=97313.msg601994#msg601994; emphasis added.) See also Curtis’s discussion in his 2020 Coin Talk post, at https://www.cointalk.com/threads/questions-about-new-faustina-ii-denarius.370212/page-2#post-5143304: “If I am correct about Marcus' temporary resignation from his tribunician power in 150-151 AD, then the birth dates of his first three children are likely to have been as follows: 1. A daughter, born 30 Nov. 147, resulting in the titles Augusta for Faustina and TR P for Marcus, as recorded in the Ostian Fasti. 2. A son, born between c. Sept. 148 (nine months after Faustina's first childbirth) and March 149, commemorated on the crossed cornucopias coins of Antoninus Pius as TR P XII. The children on the two cornucopias in this type are traditionally assumed to have been male twins, but there is no reason why the type should not commemorate the birth of a single son to join the earlier daughter, and on a couple of dies the portraits seem to be differentiated, with the daughter on the right having longer hair with a small bun (cf. Strack, pl. XIII, 1026). Both of these children had died, however, before March 149, for by that time Marcus was no longer numbering his TR P. Lucilla, born 7 March 151, apparently commemorated by the LAETITIA COS IIII type (Ceres and Proserpina) on aurei of Antoninus as TR P XIIII. A longed-for daughter had now been restored to Faustina too, so the type seems appropriate. (Emphasis added.) Thus, just as Proserpina was restored to Ceres at the conclusion of that myth (even if only for six months of the year, after consuming six pomegranate seeds!), the birth of Lucilla restored a daughter and granddaughter to the Imperial family. The one issue with identifying the Ceres and Proserpina depiction with a celebration of Lucilla’s birth is that obviously, if the Ceres & Proserpina design did actually originate not with Antoninus Pius’s 14th tribunician year but with his 13th tribunician year -- which ended either in Dec. 150 or February 151 regardless of whether one accepts Curtis L. Clay’s theory -- both those dates preceded the birth of Lucilla on March 7, 151, and the design could not have been originally intended to celebrate her birth. Curtis concedes the existence of one specimen bearing the TR P XIII date, from one die, but given that extreme rarity, argues that its production must have been “erroneous[], from one TR P XIII die which had remained in use in the new tribunician year.” Here is a link to what I believe must be the one example he cites of the type with a TR P XIII legend, held by the British Museum since 1864: https://media.britishmuseum.org/med...e_4223_9331_a3c100ecd091/mid_00658499_001.jpg (This type has been cataloged as RIC III 190 [citing British Museum example], BMCRE IV Antoninus Pius 714 & Pl. 15 No. 7 [see also https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/C_1864-1128-70], Dinsdale Ch. 16 036130 at p. 414 [illustrated with British Museum example], Strack III 215, Calicó 1555.) In fact, at least one other specimen of the type exists, sold by LHS Numismatick AG, Auction 95, Lot 813, on 25 Oct. 2005. See photo at https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=261692. However, this second specimen appears to me to be a double die match to the British Museum specimen, which would mean that it’s still true that only a single die of this type is known. Therefore, I don’t think the existence of the second specimen materially detracts from the plausibility of @CurtisLClay’s theory, and I’m still comfortable adopting his theory that the depiction of Ceres and Proserpina on the reverse of this aureus – one of only two such numismatic depictions during the Roman Empire – symbolizes the joy of the Imperial family in the birth of Lucilla. Particularly given the frequent designs on other coins (issued both by Faustina II herself and by her grandfather Antoninus Pius), symbolically depicting Faustina II and her various children. Finally, it should be noted that @curtislclay was not the first or only scholar to identify Ceres and Proserpina as depicted on the aurei of Antoninus Pius with Faustina II and Lucilla. Paul L. Strack, writing in 1937, also appears to have made that identification. See Dinsdale, supra p. 414 n. 1, citing Strack 215.
