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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Roman Collector, post: 3547996, member: 75937&quot;]Let&#039;s look at the RIC listing for middle bronzes with the AETERNITAS reverse inscription and depicting Providentia (two different reverse designs).</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]942886[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]942887[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>I do not believe RIC 1163b exists; RIC cites it <i>on the basis of a single coin</i> excavated in Richborough. I cannot find a single copy online and Mattingly&#039;s footnote (BMCRE4, p. 249) is very telling:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]942888[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Mattingly apparently believed RIC 1163b was misdescribed on the basis of an illegible obverse legend. I concur with him.</p><p><br /></p><p>[USER=85693]@Marsyas Mike[/USER] &#039;s coin cannot be 1163b because there is no such thing.</p><p><br /></p><p>The reason the reverse design of RIC 1164 is different is that it was issued years after the version with the DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA legend. As [USER=88829]@lrbguy[/USER] notes,</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>To elaborate, the coins with the DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA (copper alloy and gold) or DIVA AVG FAVSTINA (all metals) and with the AETERNITAS reverse type were issued in AD 141, shortly after Faustina&#039;s death, and &quot;immediately afterward&quot; (BMCRE4, p. 229). But we know, based on die-linkage studies of Faustina&#039;s aurei, that a second massive issue of coins in all denominations bearing the reverse legend AETERNITAS took place in AD 150/151 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the empress&#039;s death; these coins have the shorter legend, DIVA FAVSTINA.*</p><p><br /></p><p>The BMC collection is cataloged chronologically, rather than on the basis of common design features, and assigns the two issues very different catalog numbers.</p><p><br /></p><p>The coin with the DIVA AVGVSTA FAVSTINA legend and Providentia with globe and scepter is BMC 1458 (an as with the bare-headed bust), 1459 (an as with a veiled bust) and 1460-1461 (dupondii with a veiled bust).</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]942882[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Here&#039;s my example of BMC 1460-61, a dupondius with the veiled bust.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]942881[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The coin with the DIVA FAVSTINA inscription and Providentia raising right hand and holding globe in left hand (RIC 1164) is represented by two coins in the British Museum collection, each with a bare-headed bust and differing in denomination and die-axis. They are assigned Nos. 1559 (dupondius?) and 1560 (as).</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]942883[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>I don&#039;t have an example in my collection. Here is <a href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1198753&amp;partId=1&amp;searchText=Faustina+1560&amp;page=1" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1198753&amp;partId=1&amp;searchText=Faustina+1560&amp;page=1" rel="nofollow">1560 from the British Museum</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]942884[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Looking at the reverse of your coin, I&#039;m not sure it has this reverse design:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]942889[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Does she have a scepter or torch in her left hand? Am I seeing things? Perhaps Ceres holding corn ears and long torch (<a href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1198774&amp;partId=1&amp;searchText=Faustina+1539&amp;page=1" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1198774&amp;partId=1&amp;searchText=Faustina+1539&amp;page=1" rel="nofollow">BMC 1539</a>)? Juno raising right hand and holding vertical sceptre in left hand (<a href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1198773&amp;partId=1&amp;searchText=Faustina+1540&amp;page=1" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1198773&amp;partId=1&amp;searchText=Faustina+1540&amp;page=1" rel="nofollow">BMC 1540</a>)?</p><p><br /></p><p>This has been a very interesting discussion, indeed.</p><p><br /></p><p>*Beckmann, Martin. <i>Diva Faustina: Coinage and Cult in Rome and the Provinces.</i>American Numismatic Society, 2012, pp. 63-69.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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