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Message:: [QUOTE="Roman Collector, post: 4257084, member: 75937"]It's easy to identify hairstyle 1 as being the earliest, because they are in continuity with coins issued by her father, Antoninus Pius, in the last years of his reign. Coins with the FAVSTINA AVGVSTA obverse inscription and the AVGVSTI PII FIL reverse inscription were issued between 156-161 and feature this hairstyle. <img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/faustina-jr-avgvsti-pii-fil-venus-denarius-jpg.1083941/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />Faustina II, AD 147-175/6.Roman AR denarius, 3.27 g, 17.8 mm, 7 h.Rome, AD 156-161.Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.Rev: AVGVSTA PII FIL, Venus standing left, holding Victory on right hand and resting left hand on shield set on helmet.Refs: RIC 495a; BMCRE 1099-1101; Cohen/RSC 15; Strack 519; RCV 4700; CRE 224. We can date this coin issued under Marcus Aurelius, because it was issued in AD 161-162 to celebrate the birth of Commodus and his twin, Antoninus. Faustina wears the type 1 hairstyle, and it's obviously the earliest of the four types. <img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/faustina-jr-saecvli-felicit-denarius-ric-711-jpg.1083940/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />Faustina Junior, Augusta AD 147-176.Roman AR denarius, 3.22 g, 17.0 mm, 12:00.Rome, AD 161/2.Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.Rev: SAECVLI FELICIT, Throne, upon which are seated two infant boys, Commodus and Antoninus.Refs: RIC 711; BMCRE 136; Cohen 191; RCV 5260 var. (no diadem); CRE 221; Dinsdale 005590. Similarly, we know that type 3 is the last of the hairstyles, because that's the hairstyle depicted on her posthumous issues. <img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/faustina-jr-aeternitas-standing-denarius-jpg.1068025/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />Diva Faustina II, AD 147-175/6.Roman AR denarius, 3.51 g, 19.0 mm, 6 h.Rome, AD 176-180.Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA PIA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.Rev: AETERNITAS, Aeternitas standing facing, head left, drawing out veil with right hand and holding long vertical torch in left hand.Refs: RIC 739; BMCRE 706-707; RSC/Cohen 2; RCV 5212; CRE 155. Types 2a and 2b obviously fall somewhere in between. To establish their relationship in the temporal sequence between type 1 and type 3, I searched online databases, such as the British Museum collection, OCRE, Wildwinds and acsearchinfo, to view the various reverse types and catalog them according to hairstyle depicted on the obverse. The following reverse types are represented by type 1 alone: DIANA LVCIFERA, RIC 674FECVND AVGVSTAE, RIC 676SAECVLI FELICIT, RIC 711 (bare-head) & 712 (stephane)VENVS stg. l., holding apple and scepter, RIC 728VENVS stg. r., holding scepter and apple, RIC 729VENVS stg. l., holding dove and scepter, RIC 730 The following reverse type is represented by type 1 and type 2b (stephane). TEMPOR FELIC, RIC 719 [ATTACH=full]1085556[/ATTACH]Naumann, Auction 21, lot 638, Sept. 7, 2014. Not my coin. [ATTACH=full]1085555[/ATTACH]Künker, Auction 62, <a href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=78148" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=78148" rel="nofollow">lot 497</a>, March 13, 2001. This is the only example of this bust type I could find after an exhaustive internet search. The following reverse types are represented by type 2a alone: VENERI VICTRICI, RIC 723.VESTA, RIC 373. The following reverse types are represented by both type 2a and type 2b. This has been a <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/faustina-ii-hairstyle-confusion-ric-721-or-722.349559/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/faustina-ii-hairstyle-confusion-ric-721-or-722.349559/">source of confusion</a> for authors cataloging these coins: HILARITAS, RIC 686IVNO seated, RIC 689IVNONI REGINAE seated, RIC 694, 695, & 696 (stephane)VENERI AVGVSTAE, RIC 721VENVS GENETRIX standing, RIC 734VESTA, RIC 737. For example: <img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/faustina-jr-veneri-avgvstae-denarius-bmc-159-jpg.1018554/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />British Museum, <a href="https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1209733&page=1&partId=1&searchText=Faustina%20VENERI%20AVGVSTAE%20denarius" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1209733&page=1&partId=1&searchText=Faustina%20VENERI%20AVGVSTAE%20denarius" rel="nofollow">BMCRE4 159.</a><a href="https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1209733&page=1&partId=1&searchText=Faustina%20VENERI%20AVGVSTAE%20denarius" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1209733&page=1&partId=1&searchText=Faustina%20VENERI%20AVGVSTAE%20denarius" rel="nofollow"> </a><a href="https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1209733&page=1&partId=1&searchText=Faustina%20VENERI%20AVGVSTAE%20denarius" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1209733&page=1&partId=1&searchText=Faustina%20VENERI%20AVGVSTAE%20denarius" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/faustina-jr-veneri-avgvstae-denarius-cre-cng-jpg.1018563/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></a><a href="https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1209733&page=1&partId=1&searchText=Faustina%20VENERI%20AVGVSTAE%20denarius" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1209733&page=1&partId=1&searchText=Faustina%20VENERI%20AVGVSTAE%20denarius" rel="nofollow">C</a>NG e-Auction 226, <a href="https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=158296" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=158296" rel="nofollow">lot 533</a>. Not my coin. The following reverse types are represented by type 2b alone: CERES standing, RIC 668FECVNDITAS, RIC 677LAETITIA stg. l., holding wreath and scepter, RIC 700 & 701 (stephane)LAETITIA stg. r., holding scepter and wreath, RIC 702 (stephane)SALVS seated, RIC 714 (stephane) and 714a (pearls)VENVS GENETRIX seated, RIC 735 The following reverse type is represented by types 2a and 3: VENVS FELIX, Venus holds statuette of the three graces, RIC --; CRE 240 (type 2a) & 241 (type 3). [ATTACH=full]1085559[/ATTACH]Faustina Jr, 161-175.Roman AR Denarius, 3.18 g, 18.2 mm, 6 h.Rome, AD 161-175.Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.Rev: VENVS FELIX, Venus seated left, holding small statuary group of the three graces and scepter.Refs: Staal p. 142, p. 169; CRE 240. [ATTACH=full]1085560[/ATTACH]British Museum <a href="https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=5150&page=1&partId=1&plaA=39435-2-16&place=39435" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=5150&page=1&partId=1&plaA=39435-2-16&place=39435" rel="nofollow">specimen acquired in 1982</a>, not listed in BMCRE4. The following reverse type is represented by types 2b and 3: CERES seated, RIC 669 (discussed previously <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/when-is-a-variant-not-just-a-variant-faustina-ii-ceres-seated-denarii.313826/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/when-is-a-variant-not-just-a-variant-faustina-ii-ceres-seated-denarii.313826/">here</a> and <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/faustina-ii-sestertius-ceres-seated-with-torch-help-please.356588/#post-4244914" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/faustina-ii-sestertius-ceres-seated-with-torch-help-please.356588/#post-4244914">here</a> and not illustrated in this thread) The following reverse types are represented by types 2a, 2b, and 3: IVNO standing, RIC 689SALVS standing, RIC 715 [ATTACH=full]1085564[/ATTACH]British Museum, <a href="https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1209778&partId=1&searchText=Faustina+106&page=1" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1209778&partId=1&searchText=Faustina+106&page=1" rel="nofollow">BMCRE 106</a>. [ATTACH=full]1085563[/ATTACH]British Museum, <a href="https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1209780&partId=1&searchText=Faustina+104&page=1" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1209780&partId=1&searchText=Faustina+104&page=1" rel="nofollow">BMCRE 104</a>. <img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/faustina-jr-ivno-denarius-jpg.1085471/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />Faustina Jr, AD 147-175. Roman AR Denarius, 3.54 g, 18.4 mm, 6 h.Rome, AD 161-175. Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.Rev: IVNO, Juno, veiled, draped, standing left, holding patera in extended right hand and scepter in left hand; at left, peacock.Refs: RIC 688; BMC 105; Cohen 120; RCV 5255; CRE 190. The following reverse types are represented by type 3 alone: FORTVNA MVLIEBRI, RIC 683MATRI MAGNAE, RIC 706VENVS FELIX, Venus holds statuette of Victory, RIC 731 Discussion: Clearly, coins with the type 1 hairstyle are earlier than those with the type 3 hairstyle. There are coins featuring only the type 1 hairstyle and those featuring only the type 3 hairstyle. While there is some overlap between the type 1 and type 2 hairstyles, and between the type 2 and the type 3 hairstyles, there no reverse types exist depicting the empress with both the type 1 and type 3 hairstyle. The type 2 hairstyles must therefore have come in time between the type 1 and type 3 hairstyles. The difficulty is assigning a temporal sequence to the type 2a and type 2b hairstyles. There are coins depicting only the type 2a hairstyle and coins depicting only the type 2b hairstyle, suggesting that the two types may have been issued at different times. However, there are a large number of reverse types that use both the type 2a and type 2b type, and two reverse types represented by three hairstyles: 2a, 2b, and 3, demonstrating that at some point, the types 2a and 2b were in use simultaneously and even overlapped for a time with the third type. Were the Künker example (2b) of the TEMPOR FELIC reverse type nor the British Museum specimen of the VENVS FELIX holding a statue of the Three Graces in existence, which depict types 1 and 2b simultaneously and types 2a and 3, simultaneously, the presence of the CERES seated coins (type 2b and 3) would suggest that type 2b coins appear in sequence right before the type 3 hairstyle, making the type 2a coins come in sequence before them by default. The most likely sequence would therefore be 1 --> 2a --> 2b --> 3, with some overlap between type 2 and type 3 coins with certain issues. However, the existence of coins where type 1 seems to skip over type 2a to type 2b (the Künker TEMPOR FELIC example) and where type 2a seems to skip over type 2b to type 3 (the VENVS FELIX with the three graces in the British Museum collection) muddies the waters when it comes to establishing a temporal sequence. The problem with these two exceptions is that the coins with this reverse type are very scarce indeed, the problem coins being known from but a single example in each case. Do these unique coins depict what we think they do? Is the hairstyle on the Künker TEMPOR FELIC example really feature the empress' type 2b coiffure or does it depict a type 2a hairdo that features an added stephane as a design element. Were this the case, it would argue nicely for the type 1 hairstyle to be followed by the type 2a. It's unclear. Similarly, does the British Museum example of the VENVS FELIX holding a statuette of the three graces really depict the three graces or is it simply a case of the VENVS FELIX holding a statue of Victory -- all of which feature the type 3 hairstyle -- being misidentified? Were this the case, then there would be no evidence of a type 2a hairstyle being issued simultaneously with a type 3 one and the proposed temporal sequence would have no strong arguments against it. Lastly, one might argue that type 2a and type 2b coins do not represent different hairstyles worn by the empress at different times in her life with some overlap seen on her coins as the same reverse types continued to be issued following her adoption of the new hairstyle, but merely represent different artistic styles rendered by the engravers at the mint. The type 2b coins tend to depict the empress wearing pearls or a stephane, whereas she tends to be bare-headed on the type 2a coins (some exceptions). Perhaps the apparent difference in hairstyles on the coinage is merely an artistic convention adopted to emphasize the ornamentation in the Faustina's hair, rather than reflecting a real-life adoption of a new and separate hairstyle by the empress. It is because of this uncertainty, that I have hesitated in declaring the type 2a and 2b separate types entirely (i.e., I could have called them types 2 and 3, with type 3 being called type 4). Moreover, some type 2 coins don't clearly fall into the a or b category when a pearl diadem or stephane is present. It can be difficult to say on coins with poor artistry or which are well-worn or poorly preserved. It's clear the temporal sequence is type 1 --> 2 --> 3. It's less clear that type 2a occurs before type 2b, but I believe they do. A reasonable timeline is: Type 1: AD 152 - mid 160s.Type 2: mid 160s to early 170sType 3: early 170s to the death of Faustina in AD 175. I propose that some reverse types were issued for a short period of time, such as those that feature only the type 1, only type 2a, only type 2b, and only type 3 hairstyles, whereas others were issued year after year, perhaps over a decade, with the hairstyle being changed over time as the empress adopted new coiffures. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Stay tuned -- I plan to write a prequel to this, analyzing the empress' early hairstyles on the coins issued by Antoninus Pius from AD 147-161.[/QUOTE]

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