Post anything you feel is relevant! I am very happy to have won this at Heritage's latest auction. This variety with the left-facing bust is quite scarce and may have been struck with a single obverse die. It was struck under her father, Antoninus Pius, and bears the earliest form of obverse legend, FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, dating it to AD 147-150. A right-facing bust is the usual form of the coin; this one has a left bust. It is not listed in Cohen (who does note a variety with a left-facing bust, but without the S C on the reverse; Cohen 259) nor in Sear. The British Museum has an example in their collection. Another example was sold by Numismatik Naumann Auction 72, lot 368 on February 3, 2019. I have not been able to find other examples online. They appear to have been struck with the same obverse die; in addition, mine is a double die-match to the Naumann example but not to the BMC specimen. Here's mine: Faustina II, AD 147-175/6. Roman Æ as, 9.85 g, 26.0 mm, 6 h. Rome, AD 147-150. Obv: FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, Bust of Faustina II, draped, with band of pearls, left. Rev: VENVS S C, Venus standing right, drawing veil from shoulder with right hand and holding up apple in left hand. Refs: RIC 1410b (l.); BMCRE 2165; Cohen --; Sear --. The BMC specimen: The Naumann example:
Nice, can't recall seeing to many of her's with left facing bust, first look seemed weird. Congrats rare for sure.
That's nice. The Naumann example is mine now and your coin is therefore a die match with mine. Always good to find a die match. But the color of the Naumann picture is a little misleading, it's more brown.
I don't know why, but it always catches me off-guard when there is a left facing bust. Great looking coins btw
