Excited to Have Scored a Beautiful LIFETIME Faustina I

Roman Empire
Faustina I
AR Denarius, Rome mint, struck AD 138-141
Dia.: 18 mm
Wt.: 2.77 g
Obv.: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA; Draped bust right.
Rev.: CONCORDIA AVG; Concordia standing left, holding patera and cornucopia.
Ref.: RIC 335 (Antoninus Pius)
Ex Collection of a Hanseatic Roman-friend. Ex Auktion Münzzentrum 94, Lot 420 (Cologne; May 13, 1998)

This coin is special for several reasons. First, the lifetime issues of Faustina I are comparatively rare. Most coins struct with her image were made after her death in AD 141 by her grieving husband, the emperor Antoninus Pius.

Second, these lifetime coins of Faustina I are interesting because, for the first time since at least the Flavian dynasty an empress was shown with her own features on a coin. Previously, under the Nerva-Antonine dynasty royal women were shown with the features of the emperor on the official coinage for some weird/kinky?/lazy reason. The fact that the mint under Antoninus Pius made the effort to show a true likeness of the empress in her own lifetime when that was not the current practice is yet another illustration of the well attested respect and affection that Antoninus Pius held for his wife.

Finally, the coin itself has great eye appeal, good centering, nice toning and a respectable provenance. All in all a great addition for 2021 and a welcome addition to my Nerva-Antonine collection.


Faustina I: I took these photos of this wonderful statue at the Getty Villa in Malibu, California. The portraits on statues and coins are remarkably consistent both lifetime and posthumous. (Author’s photos)

As always please feel free to post anything you feel is relevant, including:

• Coins of Faustina I
• Coins that show the empress as the emperor in a wig
• Coins that show an empress in her own likeness.

In fact, as to that last category I propose a bit of a challenge. I don’t really know which empress / royal lady was the last person before Faustina I to have her true likeness struck on a coin during her own lifetime. I couldn’t find the answer easily online either. Please posts such coins from any dynasty to the thread and perhaps we can get an answer. At the very least we will see some interesting portraits of important Roman ladies.

 

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Very nice coin. Congratulations. The reverse is also artistic and the conservation is excellent.
I do not have lifetime coins of Faustina I, but here is a posthumous denarius, one of my first denarii I got.



Faustina I (100-140)

Obverse: DIVA FAVSTINA. Draped bust to right.

Reverse: AVGVSTA. Aeternitas standing left, raising hand and holding torch.


RIC III 361. Rome mint

 

Wonderful coin, @Curtisimo . I recently added my first Faustina I, a posthumous issue.



Diva Faustina Senior. Died AD 140/1. AR Denarius (17mm, 3.30 g). Rome mint. Struck under Antoninus Pius. Draped bust right, wearing pearls bound on top of her head / Ceres standing left, holding grain ears and torch. RIC III 378 (Pius).

 

Romanus IV (1068-71AD) with his wife, who is figured prominently, Eudokia Makrembolitissa, widow of his predecessor Constantine X. Their marriage legitimized his claim to the throne.
I will leave it to others to fill in the intervening nine centuries of empresses.

 

Very fine. Notice that the OP coin is rainbow - toned. Here's mine of Faustina with Ceres on reverse. Denomination is an As. Cohen 80.

 

That is a gorgeous coin, @Curtisimo! Very desirable toning and well-struck, well-centered, and well-preserved!

It's safe to say the date can be narrowed down to AD 140. Her earliest inscription, FAVSTINA AVG ANTONINI AVG, was probably in use for only a short time before Antoninus Pius accepted the title of Pater Patriae in early AD 139 (sometime before 1 March) and her inscription changed to FAVSTINA AVG ANTONINI AVG PP on the AU and AR issues. The change of titulature to FAVSTINA AVGVSTA is undated, yet is so prominent that it was likely prompted by a significant political change. The most important event of the period was the joint-consulship of Antoninus and Aurelius Caesar in 140. This is likely the background against which this change was made; Faustina's new inscription completes the dynastic triad: Augustus, Augusta and Caesar.

Pace Mattingly,[1] but an end date of AD 141 is too late; the empress had died. According to the Fasti Ostienses for AD 140, "on October 23(?) Faustina Augusta died and on the same day was named diva by the Senate and a senatorial decree was made awarding her a state funeral."[2] Again, unfortunately, the dating formula is uncertain and the precise date unrecoverable, and her death could have occurred at any time between 23 October and 6 November,[3] but the beginning of this period is more probable.

Here's my example of the coin. It's not nearly as nice but it illustrates that Concordia may be depicted with double or single cornucopiae on this issue. Although BMCRE describes Concordia leaning on column, this is an error; none of the British Museum's specimens have it.


Faustina I, AD 138-140.
Roman AR denarius, 3.40 g, 17 mm.
Rome, AD 139-140.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: CONCORDIA AVG, Concordia standing left, holding patera and double cornucopiae.
Refs: RIC 335; BMCRE 133-135; Cohen/RSC 151; RCV 4668; UCR 199; CRE 93.

~~~

1. Mattingly et al. assign a death date to AD 141 because her consecration coinage of Alexandria only begins in year 5 of Pius' reign, which began after 31 August, AD 141. See Mattingly, Harold and Sydenham, Edward A. The Roman imperial coinage, vol. 3: Antoninus Pius to Commodus, London, Spink, 1986, p. xxxiii n. 6.

2. Fasti Ostienses (tablet O, lines 11-12), quoted and translated by Beckmann, Martin. Diva Faustina: Coinage and Cult in Rome and the Provinces. American Numismatic Society, 2012, p. 22.

3. Vidman, Ladislav. Fasti Ostienses. Prague, Academia, 1982, p. 122.

 

Curtis, What a wonderful addition to your collection ! The visible flow lines & micro-crack are evidence of the powerful strike this coin received . The iridescent toning adds to the eye appeal of the coin . The reverse die of Concordia is a real dazzler too . Pictured below is a coin I've probably posted too many time already but I enjoy showing it off .


A period marble head of Julia Mamaea auctioned by Christie's in NYC.

 

Really nice looking coin @Curtisimo......Love the slight blue toning!
Her lifetime issue coins are not particularly rare but are much more difficult to find at a budget price amongst the 'barrage' of Diva issues, this being obviously related to the fact that she was only Augusta for 2 years before her sudden death.
Here's mine .....The photo isn't great....
Faustina Major (138-140) Lifetime issue Denarius (2,81g, c. 16/18mm), Rome mint, 139-141 AD.
Obv.: FAVSTINA - AVGVSTA, draped bust right.
Rv.: IVNONI - REGINAE, Juno standing, facing, head left., holding patera and sceptre, peacock at feet.
RIC #338, RSC 215.

 

Great looking coin.


FAUSTINA Sr. (138-141 AD)
AR Denarius
Lifetime Issue
O: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, Draped bust right.
R: IVNONI REGINAE, Peacock seated on throne and scepter behind.
18mm
3.5g
RIC-340, RSC-221 BMC (Antoninus Pius) 145 (same reverse die)

Ex Robert Kutcher Collection (Triton X, 8 January 2007), lot 1606 (part of)

 

Beautiful Faustina I lifetime denarius, @Curtisimo.
Really like the great details on both sides.

Here are my two Faustina I lifetime pieces that I have posted before.

Denarius:


AE As:

Faustina I (wife of A. Pius) Æ As.
Rome, AD 138-141.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVG ANTONINI AVG PII P P, draped bust to right
Rev: IVNONI REG[INAE], Juno, veiled, standing to left, holding a patera in her right hand and a long scepter with her left, peacock left at feet; S-C across fields.
RIC III 1091 (Pius). 10.82g, 28mm, 5h

 

What luscious toning! I bet that coin looks great with a certain A. Pi denarius I remember from your collection.

If we widen the net to provincial coins, I wonder if we get accurate depictions of 1st and early 2nd century Imperial women? Here's Agrippina Junior with Nero:

Aeolis: Myrina (4.0g, 17mm)

And Plotina (105-123):

LYDIA, Thyateira

I get the impression that Sabina was reasonably accurately depicted, even at the Rome mint:

AE dupondius, issued c. 134

P.S. I notice you're going with a black background these days. I like it!

 

Talk about a coin to cause salivation
The portrait almost feels personal. The reverse is a beauty. And that toning COINGRATS!
Here's my fav Faustina uno denarius, (looks like @ambr0zie and I have twins):


Diva Faustina Senior
wife of Antoninus Pius (141 BCE). Silver denarius (3.69 gm). Ca. 147-161. DIVA FAV—STINA, draped bust of Diva Faustina right with jewels in her hair / AETER-NITAS, Aeternitas or Juno standing facing, head left, raising right hand and holding scepter. BMCRE 345. RIC

 

I have one lifetime Faustina I:

Faustina I [Senior] [wife of Antoninus Pius], AR Denarius 139-Oct 140 AD [lifetime issue], Rome Mint. Obv. Diademed and draped bust right, FAVSTINA AVGVSTA / Rev. Concordia standing left, holding patera with extended right hand and double cornucopiae with left arm, CONCORDIA AVG. RIC III Antoninus Pius 335, RSC II 151, Sear RCV II 4668 (ill.), BMCRE 133, Dinsdale 008710 [Dinsdale, Paul H., Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius Caesar AD 138-161: Antonine Coinage (2018) at p. 99; photo at p. 100] [see http://romanpaulus.x10host.com/Antoninus/04 - Faustina I - Undated 139-140 (med_res).pdf pp. 10-11]. 19 mm., 2.84 g.



The same type as @Curtisimo's (albeit not nearly as nice, although part of that is the photo), also shown by @Roman Collector. As I recall, I took the date from Dinsdale.

 

@Curtisimo superb specimen of a coin that has been on my list for a long time. Yours and @DonnaML 's are among the best I remember seeing. the types prior to her death may not be regarded as "Rare" but one this nice is exceptionally unusual. My only contribution is one of the common posthumous issues:

This is the first I have heard of this theory. Sabina's coins rarely show Hadrian's beard, but... as I look closer, her profile does look a bit like Hadrian without a beard.

 

..that's a purdy one Custisimo... @Roman Collector will like that'un!

 

I have only one lifetime issue Sestertius of Faustina Maior 139 AD Obv, Bust right draped Hair bound with pearls on top of head. Rv. Juno standing left RIC 1077a 24.80 grams 30 mm

 

A very nice lifetime Faustina! and thanks for laugh - it does strike me as unlikely that Sabina looked this much like Hadrian
Admittedly some of this may be due to bad lighting and my weak photography skills. My updated photo does seem a bit less Hadrian-like - this coin also interesting for the gas-mask that concordia is wearing on the reverse - what is commonly described as a "statuette of Spes" could also be an oxygen tank.

Roman Imperial, Sabina, Augusta, AD 128-136/7, AR Denarius, Rome mint, struck under Hadrian, circa AD 130-133
Obv: SABINA AVGVSTA HADRIANI AVG PP, draped bust right, wearing stephane, hair falling in plait down neck
Rev: Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera with her extended right hand and resting her left arm on statuette of Spes on low cippus; cornucopia below throne
Ref: RIC III 2502

 

What an attractive coin, Curtis.

The flow lines on the obverse are pretty amazing. A great addition to your collection and an interesting write up.

John

 

WOW stunning coin Curtis, you really know how
to pick them. My recent Faustina.

 

Thanks Ambr0! Nice posthumous Faustina!

That coin has an extremely elegant portrait and a beautiful old cabinet tone. Nice photo!

That is quite an impressive piece of gold @Hrefn ! Thanks for sharing.

Yes the toning is quite prominent even in hand. I was very pleasantly surprised by the eye appeal in hand when I received it. Nice Faustina I bronze! Thanks for sharing and for the kind words.

Thank you RC! I have made a note on the narrower date range and I have bookmarked this post.

Yours is a thread worthy reply IMO and I always appreciate it when fellow collectors take the time to share such detailed knowledge in another posters thread. Many thanks!

Thank you for the kind words Al! Also, you should never worry about posting such a stunning coin too many times. That is a true beauty of a coin and fits well with the rest of your excellent collection.

Thank you for the kind words @Spaniard !
Nice example. I knew you would have something to add here with your excellent Nerva-Antonine sub-collection.

I know that RIC lists this coin as common but I have had my eye out for the right lifetime issue for quite some time and anecdotally I find that they are not up for auction all that often. Of course that could just be because I was overlooking some of the ones that didn’t catch my eye. The lifetime issues are certainly dwarfed by the immense Diva output. To me this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because I think the posthumous issues have some of the more interesting types. I am happy to have this nice lifetime example to go with my much loved posthumous issues showing her temple.