Featured Faustina Friday -- an unusual left-facing bust of Faustina I

Restitutor · Jun 15, 2021

Roman Collector said: ↑

Following the death of his wife Faustina I, Antoninus Pius issued an astonishingly large series of posthumous issues in her name, dwarfing the coinage produced in her lifetime. There are literally dozens of different reverse types in each denomination of these posthumous coins. In contrast, her lifetime issues are limited in scope and reverse types and are not nearly as commonly encountered in the market.

Her lifetime issues are typically divided into three periods, characterized by different obverse legends.

The first issue, AD 138-39, appears limited to denarii, and bear the legend FAVSTINA AVG ANTONINI AVG, "Faustina, (wife) of Antoninus." The issue consists of three reverse types, Concordia standing, Concordia seated, and Vesta seated. I have discussed these scarce issues in an earlier thread.

Silver and gold coins of the second issue, AD 139-40, reflect Antoninus Pius' title of Pater Patriae, "Father of the Fatherland," and bear the inscription FAVSTINA AVG ANTONINI AVG P P.

The silver and gold issues of the third issue, AD 140, bear the legend FAVSTINA AVGVSTA.

The inscriptions on the aes coinage are even more limited; all reflect Pius' title of Pater Patriae and were issued from AD 138-140. They bear the inscriptions FAVSTINA AVG ANTONINI AVG PII P P or FAVSTINA AVG PII P P (on a single issue, RIC 1077b).

You may see examples of all three types and of some bronze issues in an earlier thread.

Today's featured denarius is of the third issue and therefore dates to AD 139-140. The reverse depicts a pulvinar, a special couch set out for use by the gods and adorned with their accoutrements, during such rites as the lectisternium or supplicatio. The coin's inscription reads "For Juno the Queen," and depicts her pulvinar, scepter, and sacred bird, the peacock. As queen of the Romans, Faustina is likened to the queen of the gods.

There are numerous denarii of Faustina I depicting a throne on the reverse, differing in reverse legend, left-facing or right-facing bust, bare-headed or veiled bust, whether or not a peacock is present, the position of the peacock, the direction a scepter may be pointing, and the the presence or absence of a wreath. There are variations in breaks in the obverse legends and so on. I have previously written about some of these here and here.

View attachment 1260135
Faustina I, AD 138-140.
Roman AR denarius, 3.17 g, 17.3 mm, 12 h.
Rome, AD 140.
Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, left.
Rev: IVNONI REGINAE, Throne, against which rests transverse sceptre; below, peacock with tail spread.
Refs: RIC 339b; BMC 143; Cohen 220 (no collection cited); Strack 405 (citing BMC and Reka Devnia); Reka Devnia 1313; RCV --; CRE 132.

You'll note the specimen has an unusual treatment of the hair, and if you're familiar with the coinage of Faustina I, you'll see how odd the portrait appears. Here, for example, is the usual version of the coin (RIC 339a, BMCRE 139, Cohen 219) from my own collection.

View attachment 1260142

Because of its odd portrait, Mattingly (BMCRE p. 24 note) suggested the British Museum specimen may be an ancient forgery.

View attachment 1260138

Here is the British Museum specimen for comparison.

View attachment 1260140

But the example in the British Museum was struck from the same dies as the American Numismatic Society specimen (1944.100.48327).

View attachment 1260139
Each of these is a double-die match to my coin. A fourth example of the coin is in a private Ukrainian collection illustrated in the catalog by Temeryazev and Makarenko.

View attachment 1260151
This was struck by a different die pair than the examples in the BMC, ANS and my collections, and indicates that the issue was official, being produced by at least two die pairs. The online catalog of the British Museum collection no longer indicates doubt about the coin's official nature. Moreover, a coin with a very similar reverse type (the peacock is on the pulvinar, not under it), has a left-facing bust from the same die as the Temeryazev and Makarenko specimen, but with a different reverse type. These die-linkages, involving two obverse and three reverse dies, indicate this is an official issue, not an "ancient forgery."

CNG 96, lot 808, May 14, 2014.

But the empress's hairstyle was somewhat asymmetrical, and it looks different from the left side. When you look at the bust of her in the Capitoline Museum from the left, the portrait on the coin doesn't seem so weird.

View attachment 1260156

The coin appears to be very scarce, and no examples have been sold at auction in the past 20 years, according to the coinarchivespro and acsearchinfo databases. The specimens appear to be limited to:

My coin

The BMC specimen (cited by Strack)

The ANS specimen

The Reka Devnia hoard specimen in Sofia (cited by Strack)

The specimen cited by Cohen (unclear which collection he is referencing)

The specimen illustrated in Temeryazev and Makarenko.

As always, please post comments, coins with pulvinaria, coins with unusual bust styles, or anything you feel is relevant!
Click to expand...

Cannot believe that CNG one referenced only sold for $650. Wish I got into collecting back then…

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Featured Faustina Friday -- an unusual left-facing bust of Faustina I

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