Featured OTD: In 86 CE Mr. Perfect is born...but does anybody really care about Antoninus Pius?

This is one fella whom I keep telling myself I will upgrade my denarius of his but don't. Partly due to the fact that I like the ghostly almost spooky portrait. Also, because it's just boring old AP.




Antoninus Pius
(138-161 AD). AR Denarius (18 mm, 3.39 g), Roma (Rome), 153-154 AD.
Obv. ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XVII, laureate head right.
Rev. COS IIII, Vesta standing holding simpulum and Palladium.
RIC III, 229b.
Nicely toned

The guy didn't kill his own mother, skipped out on sleeping with his sisters, never killed his son for false accusations of sleeping with his wife, if he played the fiddle we never had to hear about it, heck, he was even known as a completely devoted and loving husband despite the salacious rumors of his wife Faustina out prostituting a prostitute!


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

This guy is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Augustii.
He was around forever (ruled for 23 years of peace and prosperity!), made everyone happy (effective administrator, left his successors a large surplus in the treasury, gave free drinking water to everyone within the empire, and facilitated the enfranchisement of freed slaves), gave us his adopted son Marcus Aurelius, but still he gets no respect!



Let's face it, the guy wasn't ashamed to do things his way...even if it was really cold out:




And even what's left of his Triumphal arch is more of just an Umphal arch (I guess this is why they call them ruins):


However, today is the day of his birth so I am here to show off what I got (even if like the statue from above shows...it aint much).



Antoninus Pius
138-161 CE, Sestertius, Obv: Laureate head of Antoninius Pius right "ANTONINVS AVG PIVS PP TR P" Rev: Honos standing left holding a branch and cornucopiae "HONORI AVG COS IIII SC". RIC 772. Struck 145-7
RPC 4318; For countermark: Howgego




Antoninus Pius
Lycaonia, Iconium. A.D. 138-161. AE 17 (16.8 mm, 4.75 g, 7 h). [ANTO]NINVS AVG PIVS, laureate head right / [CO]L ICO, helmeted head of Athena right. SNG von Aulock 8648; von Aulock, Lycaoniens, 308; RPC IV online 7259; SNG France -. VF. Scarce.




Antoninus Pius
Phrygia, Eucarpia
AE 16 MM 2.32 grc. 147-161, probably soon after 147
head of Heracles (youthful) wearing lion-scalp, r. “ƐΥΚΑΡΠƐΩΝ”
Telesphorus standing, facing “ƐΠΙ Γ ΚΛ ΦΛΑΚΚοΥ”





Faustina I
Æ-As, 138/141, Rome; 10.29 G. Draped bust R.//Concordia sits L. With Patera, the L. Elbow supported on statue of Spes, under the throne cornucopia. BMC 1127; CoH. 149 var.; Ric 1086 var.


After all of the things this guy has done for us let's show off some of our coins for and of him. Please show em if ya got em!

 

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Awesome coins(as usual), I have an AR Denarius that I got at a show awhile back. I don’t have the attribution handy

 

I've only got one Antonius Pius denarius and it is a sad one at that. He reminds me of a zombie.

 

I like coins of Antoninus Pius and have lots of them. A plus is that some rarities cost much less than others, often because people just skim by. I picked this sestertius up recently. Uber cool in that he is depicted as the bringer of peace and war (thought that is a debatable interpretation):

 

If you consider the coins of Antoninus Pius boring maybe you should consider getting a reverse type that is less boring. He has several thousand coins and only 95% of them are boring. Top drawer ones like the fanciest Alexandrian drachms in high grade are very expensive (I have none of them). We must decide on how soon, how fine and how interesting we must have. The coins below were good enough for me. Your mileage may vary. All have been posted here before. I have relatively few coins of Pius.... I hear he is boring.

 

Those are pretty non-boring @dougsmit ! I particularly like #2 and #4.

 

As evidenced by my avatar, I care about AP!

 

Doug isn't overselling how challenging it is to add some of Pius' iconic bronze types (Zodiac and Labors of Hercules). There have been a couple significant runs of exceptionally nice examples in recent years (read: VF/about VF in grade - that's as nice as they come).

Alas, I've been outbid on every example. Some were heartbreaking to miss out on but we all need to have our limits.

 

Of course the title is tongue in cheek. Could we see the reverse of that bad boy (or should I say "good" boy?).

 

Sure, I haven't posted it in a long time. Pedigree is ex-Biaggi and the Calico plate coin:

 

..well happy b day AP...

 

Nice coins....

I have a couple of rough AP sestertius

 

Some more boring AP coins.
2 Sestertii with Felicitas(left) and Annona(right) on the reverse:

 

Last Pius Aureus I had was this one, last seen in Gemini auction last year. Before that me, and M&M in 1962. It sold over double what I sold it for in 2000. One reason I no longer buy gold!

 

A calm time in Roman history...Not boring just cool!
I've got a couple ...Big and small...
Small...
Antoninus Pius (AD 138-161) AR denarius, struck AD 145-161. Rome mint.
Obverse..ANTONINVS AVG PIVS PP,(Antoninus Augustus Pius Father of the people) laureate head right
Reverse..TR POT COS IIII,(Tribune of the people 4 times Consul) Liberalitas standing left, holding abacus and cornucopiae, LIB IIII across the fields.
RIC 155 type 1

And the big'n
ANTONINUS PIUS. 138-161 AD. Æ Sestertius (33mm, 26.75 g.)
Struck 159/160 AD.
Obverse..ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XXIII, laureate head right
Rev. PIETATI AVG COS IIII SC, Pietas standing left holding globe, Faustina Junior as Pietas standing left, between Faustina Minima, Lucilla & holding baby Fadilla.
RIC III 1031

 

What a fun thread. I do like Antoninus Pius coins - abundant and affordable (sometimes). It's nice to see them all together like this.

Here is a recent scruffy sestertius that I was rather excited to find lacks the "PIVS" - not from wear, but, if my attribution is correct, because it was minted before he was awarded that honorific:



Antoninus Pius Æ Sestertius
(138 A.D.)
Rome Mint
[IMP CAES] AELIVS ANTONINVS AVG, bare head right / [PONT MAX TR POT COS] S [C], Pax standing left, holding branch & cornucopiae.
RIC 519a; Cohen 660.
(23.22 grams / 30 mm)

 

I have the roughest of rough Antoninus Pius sestertius as well. This and the denarius are my only 2 AP coins.

 

Well he did build the Antonine Wall - the closest thing to war during his time in office.

 

Yeah, unfortunately a sane and temperate leader who presided over an era of peace and prosperity doesn't make for exciting stories. Here's a posthumous denarius featuring his funeral pyre:

 

Antoninius "Tony" Pius Ae Sestertius 145 A.D. Rv. Pius seated on a platform distributing largess to citizen. RIC 774 28.79 grms 30 mm