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Two new sestertii: Faustina II (variation unlisted in RIC) & Maximinus Thrax
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<p>[QUOTE="DonnaML, post: 7312001, member: 110350"]These were not entirely impulse purchases, unlike the two new Provincial coins I recently posted. In a recent thread, I mentioned that I had only two sestertii (one each for Marcus Aurelius and Philip I), and realized that I had purchased both almost a year ago. So I had my eye out for a couple more that looked good but weren't very expensive -- not necessarily so easy to find, I've discovered -- and decided on these, the first of them purchased from our own [USER=10613]@Victor_Clark[/USER].</p><p><br /></p><p>Neither is in what I'd call superb condition, but I still like both a lot -- especially the reverse on the first, from Faustina II (both for its "children" theme and its wonderful appearance, as well as the fact that it's unlisted in RIC), and the obverse portrait on the second, which conveys an impression to me of the enormous power and strength of Maximinus I. And his chin!</p><p><br /></p><p>First: Faustina II, appropriate for a Friday even though I'm not putting it in [USER=75937]@Roman Collector[/USER]'s much-anticipated weekly thread. It's amazing in hand; even nicer than the photo.</p><p><br /></p><p>Faustina II (Junior) (wife of Marcus Aurelius & daughter of Antoninus Pius), AE Sestertius, ca. 161 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Draped bust right, low chignon at back of head, FAVSTINA AVGVSTA / Rev. Felicitas (or Faustina as Fecunditas) standing left, between four girls (two standing at each side), holding two infants in her arms, each with a star over its head, TEMPOR FELIC [-IC almost entirely worn off], S - C across fields. RIC III (Marcus Aurelius) 1673 (at p. 147), <i>var</i>. [no stars above infants’ heads]; BMCRE MA 949 <i>var </i>[same]; Cohen 222; Dinsdale 006760 & n. 1 [Dinsdale, Paul H., <i>The Imperial Coinage of the Middle Antonines: Marcus Aurelius with Lucius Verus and Commodus</i>, Ch. 4, <i>Faustina II - Undated, 158-176 </i>(<a href="http://romanpaulus.x10host.com/Marcus/04%20-%20Faustina%20II%20-%20Undated,%20158-176%20%28med_res%29.pdf" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://romanpaulus.x10host.com/Marcus/04%20-%20Faustina%20II%20-%20Undated,%20158-176%20%28med_res%29.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://romanpaulus.x10host.com/Marcus/04 - Faustina II - Undated, 158-176 (med_res).pdf</a>) at p. 70] (“Minor rev. variation: sometimes each infant held in arms has star above head”). 31 mm., 24 gm. <i>Purchased from Victor’s Imperial Coins, March 2021. Ex. CNG E-Auction 476, 9/09/2020, part of Lot 762; ex. BLS Collection.</i>*</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1278132[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>*The four girls standing on either side of Felicitas on the reverse of this type have been identified as Marcus Aurelius’s and Faustina II’s daughters Annia Faustina (a/k/a Faustina III), Lucilla, Fadilla, and Cornificia -- the last of whom was born in 160 AD. The two infants held in her arms have been identified as Faustina II’s twin sons b. 31 Aug 161 AD: Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus (the older twin, d. 165 AD) and Commodus, the ninth and tenth children of the royal couple. See Foss, <i>Roman Historical Coins.</i></p><p><br /></p><p>This variation of RIC III 1673 (with stars above the two infants’ heads) is unlisted in RIC or BMCRE, and appears to be mentioned only in the footnote to Dinsdale 006760. (RIC III 1677 does have stars above the infants’ heads, but is an as, not a sestertius.) Of the 14 other examples I found on acsearch of RIC 1673 and 1674 (the same design as 1673, but with a diadem on Faustina’s head; see Sear RCV II 5284), only one other example (an RIC 1673) has the stars above the infants’ heads. See <a href="https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=6215913" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=6215913" rel="nofollow">https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=6215913</a> (Numismatik Naumann, Auction 80, Lot 568, 4 Aug 2019). As you can see, that coin was struck from two very different dies from mine, so as uncommon as the variation appears to be, there was definitely more than one die made that shows it:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1278133[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>I have no idea what, if anything, the stars on this variation are supposed to signify, unless it has something to do with one of the infant twins being the heir to the throne. Any ideas?</p><p><br /></p><p>Also, just how common is it for a variation like this one not to be listed in RIC? Of course, Vol. III of RIC was published back in 1930, so I imagine that there must have been quite a few coins from the Antoninus Pius through Commodus reigns that have turned up for the first time since then.</p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, my new Faustina II coin provides conclusive evidence that in Roman numismatics, 676 + 712 = 1673:</p><p><br /></p><p>Faustina II, AR Denarius, Rome Mint, Dec.160 AD, RIC III [Marcus Aurelius] 676, with reverse legend FECVND AVGVSTAE, showing Annia Faustina, Lucilla, Fadilla, and Cornificia, apparently struck to celebrate the birth of Cornificia, the then-youngest child, in August 160 AD:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1278137[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>+</p><p><br /></p><p>Faustina II , AR Denarius, Rome Mint, 161 AD, RIC III (Marcus Aurelius) 712, with reverse legend SAECVLI FELICIT, showing the twins Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus and Commodus, issued to celebrate their birth on 31 Aug 161 AD:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1278138[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>= my coin, RIC III (Marcus Aurelius) 1673 <i>var</i>., showing all six children.</p><p><br /></p><p>One other minor question. For the first denarius above, showing a reverse figure with four children, there appears to be no question that the figure is Faustina as Fecunditas, presumably because of the reverse legend FECVND AVGVSTAE. For my new sestertius, showing a reverse figure with six children, there's a question about whether the figure is also Faustina as Fecunditas, or, instead, is intended to be Felicitas, presumably because of the different reverse legend TEMPOR FELIC. Even though the celebratory figure on both coins is essentially the same except for the number of children. Would the personification on reverses like this always have been intended and seen to embody the reverse legend? Or did nobody really pay attention back then to the difference, with the celebration of royal children the point rather than the specific identity of the personification? After all, the reverse figure seems to have the same kind of chignon at the back of her head on all these coins that Faustina has on the obverses.</p><p><br /></p><p>Second:</p><p><br /></p><p>Maximinus I Thrax, AE Sestertius, 236-238 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, MAXIMINVS PIVS AVG GERM / Rev. Salus seated left, holding patera with outstretched right hand and using it to feed a serpent rising from an altar; resting left arm on side of chair, SALVS AVGVSTI; S C in exergue. RIC IV 85, BMCRE 175-176, Cohen 92, Sear RCV III 8338 (ill.). 31 mm., 17.58 g., 12 h.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1278150[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>As I mentioned above, I love the obverse for the impression it gives of Maximinus's size and power. The reverse is in OK condition -- I like the serpent! -- but the images of Salus, and the throne on which she sits, concern me a bit: the horizontal ridges on the surface look like the imprint of the bottom of someone's shoe on wet concrete. Odd, given that none of the other examples of this type I've looked at show anything like this. I purchased the coin from London Ancient Coins, a reputable dealer from whom I've made purchases many times before without an issue. I don't know why anyone would artificially alter a coin to look like that, so I imagine that it's OK; it just seems a little unusual. I'm not as experienced in looking at bronzes as I am with looking at denarii and other silver coins, and there seems to be a higher general likelihood of artificial alterations. So I'm more likely to be unsure.</p><p><br /></p><p>I now have four sestertii. I will never come close to my 50 Roman Republican denarii for all sorts of reasons, so I don't plan to put the number in the title if I ever buy any more. That would be kind of presumptuous. Unlike with the denarii, for which I believe I started doing that somewhere in the 30s.</p><p><br /></p><p>Please post your own sestertii or other bronzes of Faustina II or Maximinus Thrax, or anything else that seems relevant to you.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="DonnaML, post: 7312001, member: 110350"]These were not entirely impulse purchases, unlike the two new Provincial coins I recently posted. In a recent thread, I mentioned that I had only two sestertii (one each for Marcus Aurelius and Philip I), and realized that I had purchased both almost a year ago. So I had my eye out for a couple more that looked good but weren't very expensive -- not necessarily so easy to find, I've discovered -- and decided on these, the first of them purchased from our own [USER=10613]@Victor_Clark[/USER]. Neither is in what I'd call superb condition, but I still like both a lot -- especially the reverse on the first, from Faustina II (both for its "children" theme and its wonderful appearance, as well as the fact that it's unlisted in RIC), and the obverse portrait on the second, which conveys an impression to me of the enormous power and strength of Maximinus I. And his chin! First: Faustina II, appropriate for a Friday even though I'm not putting it in [USER=75937]@Roman Collector[/USER]'s much-anticipated weekly thread. It's amazing in hand; even nicer than the photo. Faustina II (Junior) (wife of Marcus Aurelius & daughter of Antoninus Pius), AE Sestertius, ca. 161 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Draped bust right, low chignon at back of head, FAVSTINA AVGVSTA / Rev. Felicitas (or Faustina as Fecunditas) standing left, between four girls (two standing at each side), holding two infants in her arms, each with a star over its head, TEMPOR FELIC [-IC almost entirely worn off], S - C across fields. RIC III (Marcus Aurelius) 1673 (at p. 147), [I]var[/I]. [no stars above infants’ heads]; BMCRE MA 949 [I]var [/I][same]; Cohen 222; Dinsdale 006760 & n. 1 [Dinsdale, Paul H., [I]The Imperial Coinage of the Middle Antonines: Marcus Aurelius with Lucius Verus and Commodus[/I], Ch. 4, [I]Faustina II - Undated, 158-176 [/I]([URL='http://romanpaulus.x10host.com/Marcus/04%20-%20Faustina%20II%20-%20Undated,%20158-176%20%28med_res%29.pdf']http://romanpaulus.x10host.com/Marcus/04 - Faustina II - Undated, 158-176 (med_res).pdf[/URL]) at p. 70] (“Minor rev. variation: sometimes each infant held in arms has star above head”). 31 mm., 24 gm. [I]Purchased from Victor’s Imperial Coins, March 2021. Ex. CNG E-Auction 476, 9/09/2020, part of Lot 762; ex. BLS Collection.[/I]* [ATTACH=full]1278132[/ATTACH] *The four girls standing on either side of Felicitas on the reverse of this type have been identified as Marcus Aurelius’s and Faustina II’s daughters Annia Faustina (a/k/a Faustina III), Lucilla, Fadilla, and Cornificia -- the last of whom was born in 160 AD. The two infants held in her arms have been identified as Faustina II’s twin sons b. 31 Aug 161 AD: Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus (the older twin, d. 165 AD) and Commodus, the ninth and tenth children of the royal couple. See Foss, [I]Roman Historical Coins.[/I] This variation of RIC III 1673 (with stars above the two infants’ heads) is unlisted in RIC or BMCRE, and appears to be mentioned only in the footnote to Dinsdale 006760. (RIC III 1677 does have stars above the infants’ heads, but is an as, not a sestertius.) Of the 14 other examples I found on acsearch of RIC 1673 and 1674 (the same design as 1673, but with a diadem on Faustina’s head; see Sear RCV II 5284), only one other example (an RIC 1673) has the stars above the infants’ heads. See [URL]https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=6215913[/URL] (Numismatik Naumann, Auction 80, Lot 568, 4 Aug 2019). As you can see, that coin was struck from two very different dies from mine, so as uncommon as the variation appears to be, there was definitely more than one die made that shows it: [ATTACH=full]1278133[/ATTACH] I have no idea what, if anything, the stars on this variation are supposed to signify, unless it has something to do with one of the infant twins being the heir to the throne. Any ideas? Also, just how common is it for a variation like this one not to be listed in RIC? Of course, Vol. III of RIC was published back in 1930, so I imagine that there must have been quite a few coins from the Antoninus Pius through Commodus reigns that have turned up for the first time since then. Finally, my new Faustina II coin provides conclusive evidence that in Roman numismatics, 676 + 712 = 1673: Faustina II, AR Denarius, Rome Mint, Dec.160 AD, RIC III [Marcus Aurelius] 676, with reverse legend FECVND AVGVSTAE, showing Annia Faustina, Lucilla, Fadilla, and Cornificia, apparently struck to celebrate the birth of Cornificia, the then-youngest child, in August 160 AD: [ATTACH=full]1278137[/ATTACH] + Faustina II , AR Denarius, Rome Mint, 161 AD, RIC III (Marcus Aurelius) 712, with reverse legend SAECVLI FELICIT, showing the twins Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus and Commodus, issued to celebrate their birth on 31 Aug 161 AD: [ATTACH=full]1278138[/ATTACH] = my coin, RIC III (Marcus Aurelius) 1673 [I]var[/I]., showing all six children. One other minor question. For the first denarius above, showing a reverse figure with four children, there appears to be no question that the figure is Faustina as Fecunditas, presumably because of the reverse legend FECVND AVGVSTAE. For my new sestertius, showing a reverse figure with six children, there's a question about whether the figure is also Faustina as Fecunditas, or, instead, is intended to be Felicitas, presumably because of the different reverse legend TEMPOR FELIC. Even though the celebratory figure on both coins is essentially the same except for the number of children. Would the personification on reverses like this always have been intended and seen to embody the reverse legend? Or did nobody really pay attention back then to the difference, with the celebration of royal children the point rather than the specific identity of the personification? After all, the reverse figure seems to have the same kind of chignon at the back of her head on all these coins that Faustina has on the obverses. Second: Maximinus I Thrax, AE Sestertius, 236-238 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, MAXIMINVS PIVS AVG GERM / Rev. Salus seated left, holding patera with outstretched right hand and using it to feed a serpent rising from an altar; resting left arm on side of chair, SALVS AVGVSTI; S C in exergue. RIC IV 85, BMCRE 175-176, Cohen 92, Sear RCV III 8338 (ill.). 31 mm., 17.58 g., 12 h. [ATTACH=full]1278150[/ATTACH] As I mentioned above, I love the obverse for the impression it gives of Maximinus's size and power. The reverse is in OK condition -- I like the serpent! -- but the images of Salus, and the throne on which she sits, concern me a bit: the horizontal ridges on the surface look like the imprint of the bottom of someone's shoe on wet concrete. Odd, given that none of the other examples of this type I've looked at show anything like this. I purchased the coin from London Ancient Coins, a reputable dealer from whom I've made purchases many times before without an issue. I don't know why anyone would artificially alter a coin to look like that, so I imagine that it's OK; it just seems a little unusual. I'm not as experienced in looking at bronzes as I am with looking at denarii and other silver coins, and there seems to be a higher general likelihood of artificial alterations. So I'm more likely to be unsure. I now have four sestertii. I will never come close to my 50 Roman Republican denarii for all sorts of reasons, so I don't plan to put the number in the title if I ever buy any more. That would be kind of presumptuous. Unlike with the denarii, for which I believe I started doing that somewhere in the 30s. Please post your own sestertii or other bronzes of Faustina II or Maximinus Thrax, or anything else that seems relevant to you.[/QUOTE]
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Two new sestertii: Faustina II (variation unlisted in RIC) & Maximinus Thrax
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