As many of you know, I am doing my best to raise a new generation of coin collectors - specifically with a focus on ancient coins and history. My daughter has been interested in what her older brother, FFIVN, and I have been doing for a few years now and has started collecting her own coins. The one thing she has said since day one though, is that there should be more coins with girls on them! I whole heartedly agree and have been doing my best to help her add some to her burgeoning collection. Several CTers have recently helped her expand her collection. We received a package from @Roman Collector that included some beautiful sestertii of his favorite Faustina(s). My daughter chose a large sestertius of Faustina II that featured Fecunditas with 4 children - Perfect for our family since we have 4 kids! And then a few weeks ago, we received a package in the mail from @Theodosius and were flabbergasted upon opening it to find a host of world coins along with some absolutely beautiful ancients. Included, was a bag which contained "Coins with girls". My daughter was over the moon! We have been slowly pecking away at the ones that were not identified. Well, today was the first day of spring break and we finished identifying the last one! She asked if we could share all of her new coins with girls and who am I to say "no"? So here they are. Many many thanks to the generous CTers who have helped a little girl expand her collection and love for coins and history! Without further ado: Faustina II ca 157-161 AD AE sestertius Obverse: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust right Reverse: FECVND AVGVSTAE S-C, Fecunditas standing right, holding two infants in her arms, two girls at her feet ex: @Roman Collector Faustina I Denarius Rome 148-161 AD Obverse: DIVA FAVSTINA, draped bust right Reverse: AVGVSTA, Vesta standing left, holding patera over lit altar and Palladium close to her side in other arm ex: @Theodosius Faustina II AE As 161-175 AD Rome Obverse: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust right Reverse: LAETITIA S-C, Laetitia standing left, holding wreath and sceptre ex: @Theodosius Herennia Etruscilla AR Antoninianus Obverse: HER ETRVSCILLA AVG, diademed, draped bust right on crescent Reverse: PVDICITIA AVG, Pudicitia standing left holding sceptre & drawing veil from her face ex: @Theodosius Julia Soaemias Denarius 220 AD Obverse: IVLIA SOAEMIAS AVG, draped bust right Reverse: VENVS CAELESTIS, Venus seated left, holding sceptre, extending her hand to Cupid standing before her ex: @Theodosius Julia Paula 219-220 AD AE24 Thessalonica, Macedonia Obverse: IOVΛIA ΠAVΛA AVΓ, draped bust right Reverse: ΘECCAΛONIKEΩN, Nike walking left, holding Kabeiros and palm ex: @Theodosius Here is a picture of a girl holding a bag of coins with girls
Now that is: a. sweet b. heart warming c. adorable d. over the moon e. all of the above Correct answer is E
I brought my daughter with me to the Baltimore Whitman Expo some years ago, gave her $20 and told her to shop around and come back with some cool stuff while I sat at the ancients tables. She came back with a baggie-full of world coins, jewelery, and even gems and fossils, AND handed me back the $20!! She went around the tables asking about this and that, and dealers just gave her free stuff, lol. Hmm...that gives me an idea about replenishing my inventory...
Same thing happened a few years ago when FFIVN and I went to Baltimore. He got some fossil shark teeth, a US 2c piece, an Ike dollar, and some world coins. Cute kids are where it's at it seems
So sweet! There should definitely be more girls with coins and coins with girls. Here's Faustina II with four daughters: Faustina II [Junior] (wife of Marcus Aurelius & daughter of Antoninus Pius), AR Denarius, Rome Mint, Dec. 160 AD. Obv. Draped bust right, hair in chignon behind, FAVSTINA AVGVSTA / Rev. 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; FECVND AVGVSTAE. RIC III [Marcus Aurelius] 676, RSC II 95, Sear RCV II 5251, BMCRE 89, Dinsdale 005120 [Dinsdale, Paul H., The Imperial Coinage of the Middle Antonines: Marcus Aurelius with Lucius Verus and Commodus, Ch. 4, Faustina II - Undated, 158-176 (http://romanpaulus.x10host.com/Marcus/04 - Faustina II - Undated, 158-176 (med_res).pdf) at p. 54; photo at p. 60]. 17.0 mm., 3.29 g.* *See Foss, Roman Historical Coins, page 143, identifying the two standing children depicted on this coin as Annia Faustina [a/k/a Faustina III] (oldest child) and Lucilla (third oldest child), and identifying the two infants in Faustina’s arms as Fadilla (seventh child) and Cornificia (eighth child). The coin was probably issued to celebrate the birth of Cornificia, the then-youngest child, in August 160 AD. And here she is again with the same four daughters plus two infant twin boys: Faustina II (wife of Marcus Aurelius & daughter of Antoninus Pius), AE Sestertius, ca. 161 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Draped bust right, low chignon at back of head, FAVSTINA AVGVSTA / Rev. Felicitas (or Faustina as Fecunditas) standing left, between four girls (two standing at each side), holding two infants in her arms, each with a star over its head (representing the Dioscuri?), TEMPOR FELIC [-IC almost entirely worn off], S - C across fields. RIC III 1673 (at p. 147), var. [no stars above infants’ heads]; BMCRE MA 949 var [same]; Cohen 222; Dinsdale 006760 & n. 1 [Dinsdale, Paul H., The Imperial Coinage of the Middle Antonines: Marcus Aurelius with Lucius Verus and Commodus, Ch. 4, Faustina II - Undated, 158-176 (http://romanpaulus.x10host.com/Marcus/04 - Faustina II - Undated, 158-176 (med_res).pdf) at p. 70] (“Minor rev. variation: sometimes each infant held in arms has star above head”). 31 mm., 24 gm. Purchased from Victor’s Imperial Coins, March 2021. Ex. CNG E-Auction 476, 9/09/2020, part of Lot 762; ex. BLS Collection.* *This variation of RIC III 1673 (with stars above the two infants’ heads) is unlisted in RIC or BMCRE, and appears to be mentioned only in the footnote to Dinsdale 006760. (RIC III 1677 does have stars above the infants’ heads, but is an as, not a sestertius.) Of the 14 other examples found on acsearch of RIC 1673 and 1674 (the same design as 1673 but with a diadem on Faustina’s head; see Sear RCV II 5284), only one other example (of RIC 1673) has the stars above the infants’ heads. See https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=6215913 (Numismatik Naumann, Auction 80, Lot 568, 4 Aug 2019). The four girls standing on either side of Felicitas on the reverse of this type have been identified as Marcus Aurelius’s and Faustina II’s daughters Annia Faustina (a/k/a Faustina III), Lucilla, Fadilla, and Cornificia -- the last of whom was born in 160 AD. The two infants held in her arms have been identified as Faustina II’s twin sons b. 31 Aug 161 AD: Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus (the older twin, d. 165 AD) and Commodus, by some calculations the ninth and tenth children of the royal couple. See Foss, Roman Historical Coins.
Great coins Donna! I think I'm set with 4 kids...though Mrs. FF is wanting another girl. You are an inspiration for me to show my daughter how girls can be great collectors. Your breadth of knowledge is amazing and I hope that she can have the knowledge you possess some day. Thanks
Nice coins, and it is also nice to see other potential lifetime collectors in the making! I agree, throughout history women, outside the depiction of deities, have been underrepresented on early coinage. As I mentioned before, it is really sad there there never was a coin minted for Empress Theodora, a very important and influential figure during Justinian I's reign. This is my only family related coin, that of a sestertius of Faustina II, 161 AD, RIC 1665:
You're extremely kind! And you're welcome. Interestingly, there have probably been more women who were notable numismatic scholars, than there have been famous women collectors of coins. I think women have been known more as collectors of art in general, including antiquities.
Wow, those are generous gifts! And I think you're lucky that your children take an interest in collecting ancients, @furryfrog02! Sadly, my children see my interest in ancients as an untreatable affliction. I don't have many girls on coins, maybe because my children are boys. The ones I do have are more nymph than girl, blame it othe Greeks. Here are a few. A charming girl from Larissa: And a fashionable looking girl from Neapolis: (the nymph that is, not the gorgon)
Agrippina Maior Ae Sestertius minted during the reign of Claudius 50-54 AD Obv Bust right Rv. Inscription around SC RIC 102 28.30 grms 35 mm Photo by W. Hansen @furryfrog02 your daughter is such a lovely little girl and I hope she does find the time to continue with her collection. I wish the two of you great success.
f.frog, Your kids are so cute I'd love to give them a group hug . Kids who benefit from other people's generosity usually grow-up to be givers & not takers .
They are pretty cute. I think we'll keep em haha. We are trying to raise them to give back to society. The two oldest are in Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts respectively and we do quite a bit of volunteer work through those organizations. We need more of that in the world.
