CPK Posted May 18 · Supporter Share Posted May 18 Good afternoon to all my fellow Numis Forum members! Hope your weekend is going well. Today I'd like to present the latest addition to my collection of quality denarii - this time a lovely young portrait denarius of Faustina II, daughter of Antoninus Pius, wife of Marcus Aurelius, and mother of Commodus: FAUSTINA II, as Augusta under Antoninus Pius AR Denarius (18.79mm, 3.12g, 7h) Struck Dec. AD 147/8. Rome mint Obverse: FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, bare-headed and draped bust of Faustina II right, wearing Beckmann Type 1 hairstyle Reverse: LAETITIAE PVBLICAE, Laetitia, draped, standing left, holding diadem in extended right hand and vertical sceptre in left References: RIC III 506a, RCV 4705 Attractively toned with hints of iridescence. A particularly beautiful young portrait of Faustina, struck in high relief. This reverse type proclaiming joy to the public (LAETITIAE PVBLICAE) was struck to commemorate the birth of Faustina's first child, daughter Domitia Faustina, born late in AD 147. From the Dr. Hugh Preston Collection. Ex Dr. Busso Peus Nachfolger, 4/22/2010 This coin took a while coming, traveling across the world from Noble Numismatics Ltd. in Australia. One of Noble's latest auctions featured an extensive collection of Faustina coins, both elder and younger, from the collection of Dr. Hugh Preston. Dr. Preston is a well-known numismatist, a member of the Numismatic Association of Australia, and the founder of the coin business Romanorum. To quote the Romanorum website, "Hugh has written many articles for the Australasian Coin and Banknote magazine under the "Roman World" banner and has also published articles in Archaeological Diggings and Annali degli Istituto Italiano di Numismatica. In 2007 he gave a plenary address on Images in the Roman World, at the Numismatic Association of Australia (NAA) biennial conference." The Noble auction included many interesting and rare types, but I was primarily interested in picking up a good portrait coin. I am very pleased with this specimen. The combination of excellent portrait, good strike, and attractive toning makes for a very appealing coin in hand. It was also nice to do business in a currency worth less than the US dollar for a change. 😜 Thanks for looking! Feel free to comment and/or post your own favorite Faustina II portraits. 18 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtisimo Posted May 18 · Supporter Share Posted May 18 Excellent coin Connor! Congratulations. Here is my Faustina II. Roman Empire Faustina II, daughter of Antoninus Pius and wife of Marcus Aurelius AE Sestertius, Rome mint, struck ca. AD 156 Dia.: 33mm Wt.: 26.11g Obv.: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA AVG PII F; Draped bust right Rev.: S-C; Diana standing left, holding bow and arrow Ref.: C 206; RIC A. Pius 1383; BMCRE 2194 Ex Naville Numismatics Auction 61, lot 449 (November 8, 2020), includes old collector tag. 13 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted May 18 · Supporter Author Share Posted May 18 Just now, Curtisimo said: Excellent coin Connor! Congratulations. Here is my Faustina II. Roman Empire Faustina II, daughter of Antoninus Pius and wife of Marcus Aurelius AE Sestertius, Rome mint, struck ca. AD 156 Dia.: 33mm Wt.: 26.11g Obv.: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA AVG PII F; Draped bust right Rev.: S-C; Diana standing left, holding bow and arrow Ref.: C 206; RIC A. Pius 1383; BMCRE 2194 Ex Naville Numismatics Auction 61, lot 449 (November 8, 2020), includes old collector tag. That's a fantastic, more mature portrait! And a great reverse too. Any idea what old collection it's from? 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AETHER Posted May 18 · Member Share Posted May 18 Wow, great looking denarius! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Collector Posted May 18 · Patron Share Posted May 18 Absolutely gorgeous, @CPK! Very fine style portrait, well-struck, well-centered, and with lovely toning. The historical context in which it was struck only adds to its charm. Coingratulations! It also comes in a stephaned bust variety. Faustina II, 147-175 CE. Roman AR denarius, 3.63 g, 17.3 mm, 5 h. Rome, December 147 - early148 CE. Obv: FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, draped bust, right, wearing stephane (Beckmann Type 1 hairstyle). Rev: LAETITIAE PVBLICAE, Laetitia standing left, holding wreath and scepter. Refs: RIC 506c; BMC 1050; Cohen --; Strack 491; RCV --; CRE 196. 11 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtisimo Posted May 18 · Supporter Share Posted May 18 2 minutes ago, CPK said: That's a fantastic, more mature portrait! And a great reverse too. Any idea what old collection it's from? I’ve been researching this coin’s provenance for a while but with no luck. I haven’t found any leads on the collection tag but in a conversation with Curtis JJ he mentioned it looks like an Italian collector tag. I’m still hopeful to find a provenance for it in an old catalog as I expand my library. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted May 18 · Supporter Author Share Posted May 18 1 hour ago, Roman Collector said: Absolutely gorgeous, @CPK! Very fine style portrait, well-struck, well-centered, and with lovely toning. The historical context in which it was struck only adds to its charm. Coingratulations! It also comes in a stephaned bust variety. Faustina II, 147-175 CE. Roman AR denarius, 3.63 g, 17.3 mm, 5 h. Rome, December 147 - early148 CE. Obv: FAVSTINAE AVG PII AVG FIL, draped bust, right, wearing stephane (Beckmann Type 1 hairstyle). Rev: LAETITIAE PVBLICAE, Laetitia standing left, holding wreath and scepter. Refs: RIC 506c; BMC 1050; Cohen --; Strack 491; RCV --; CRE 196. Nice one, and a rare type too isn't it? Thanks, by the way, for the wealth of information you share here and elsewhere - most of what I learned about my coin came from your posts. 🙂 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expat Posted May 19 · Supporter Share Posted May 19 Wonderful new acquisition @CPK This one was a few years later when she was 25/26 Faustina II AR Denarius, 18mm, 3.27g. RIC 495a, RSC 15, BMC 1099 Rome mint 156/7 CE FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust right / AVGVSTI PII FIL, Venus standing left holding Victory and resting hand on shield set on a helmet. 8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anaximander Posted May 19 · Member Share Posted May 19 (edited) Lovely coin, @CPK, and an interesting reference to Beckmann (Faustina: Faustina the Younger: Coinage, Portraits, and Public Image. ANSNS 43. NY 2021. Die study and typology of her hairstyles). Until now, Beckmann wasn't on my radar, so a new reference to consult. Thanks! Roman Empire. Faustina Junior, Augusta and wife of Marcus Aurelius. †175 AD. AR Denarius (3.37 gm, 18.8mm, 1h) of Rome, 161-175 AD. Draped bust of Faustina, right. FAVSTINA AVGVSTA. / Hilaritas standing left, holding cornucopiae and palm frond. HILARITAS. Ragged flan, otherwise EF. RIC III (M. Aurelius) #686; BMCRE (same) 100; RSC II #111; MIR 15; SRCV II #5254. Hilaritas has been described as gaiety or joy personified, even cheerful serenity. Laetitia, on your coin and on that of @Roman Collector, is the Roman goddess of gaiety (laeta = happy, glad, lucky, successful, prosperous, luxurious, lush...). Faustina must have been quite popular! Edited May 19 by Anaximander It's "gaiety." Sometimes I get it right, sometimes not. 9 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nerosmyfavorite68 Posted May 19 · Member Share Posted May 19 The title says it best; it is indeed a lovely denarius of Faustina II. You've been pretty disciplined about adding quality pieces. I see some hints of rainbow toning. It's another nice addition. How long does shipping take from Australia? The only non-bulk Faustina II I have was a wonderful Secret Saturnalia present from CPK! 8 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted May 19 · Supporter Author Share Posted May 19 1 hour ago, Nerosmyfavorite68 said: The title says it best; it is indeed a lovely denarius of Faustina II. You've been pretty disciplined about adding quality pieces. I see some hints of rainbow toning. It's another nice addition. How long does shipping take from Australia? The only non-bulk Faustina II I have was a wonderful Secret Saturnalia present from CPK! Thanks! Shipping took about two weeks...but since I was a first time customer paying via credit card, they waited for a couple weeks before shipping the item. So about a month total. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMonkeySwag96 Posted May 22 · Member Share Posted May 22 (edited) AR Denarius 18mm. 3.10g. Rome Mint 156-175 A.D. Draped bust r., wearing stephane. FAVSTINA AVGVSTA Juno, veiled, seated l. on low seat, holding patera and sceptre, peacock at feet. IVNONI REGINAE RIC III 698; RSC II 145 Edited May 22 by MrMonkeySwag96 9 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted May 22 · Supporter Author Share Posted May 22 13 minutes ago, MrMonkeySwag96 said: AR Denarius 18mm. 3.10g. Rome Mint 156-175 A.D. Draped bust r., wearing stephane. FAVSTINA AVGVSTA Juno, veiled, seated l. on low seat, holding patera and sceptre, peacock at feet. IVNONI REGINAE RIC III 698; RSC II 145 Wow, mint state! 🤩 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMonkeySwag96 Posted May 22 · Member Share Posted May 22 7 minutes ago, CPK said: Wow, mint state! 🤩 The dealer graded it as Good VF. It has nice flow lines though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted May 22 · Supporter Author Share Posted May 22 1 minute ago, MrMonkeySwag96 said: The dealer graded it as Good VF. It has nice flow lines though Really? I would have thought more like EF. The only visible wear that I can see is a bit on Faustina's hair waves - everywhere else, including the reverse, seems pretty sharp! Regardless though, I'd give it a 5/5 for eye appeal. 😉 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor DonnaML Posted May 22 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted May 22 Some beautiful coins shown in this thread! This example is in rather poor condition compared to what I usually like to buy, but I still find the portrait of a young Faustina II to be very appealing: And this is probably my favorite older portrait, showing Faustina II with her twin sons, born on 31 August, AD 161: Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus (the older twin, d. 165 AD) and Commodus, sitting together on a pulvinar. 11 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted May 22 · Supporter Author Share Posted May 22 8 hours ago, DonnaML said: Some beautiful coins shown in this thread! This example is in rather poor condition compared to what I usually like to buy, but I still find the portrait of a young Faustina II to be very appealing: And this is probably my favorite older portrait, showing Faustina II with her twin sons, born on 31 August, AD 161: Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus (the older twin, d. 165 AD) and Commodus, sitting together on a pulvinar. Great coins, thanks for posting! I like the reverse type on the second. In that recent Noble auction I was watching a few other Faustina reverse types, including my favorite of her standing holding and surrounded by her children. But I ended up deciding to prioritize portrait over reverse type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limes Posted May 22 · Supporter Share Posted May 22 Fantastic coin @CPK! A great portrait indeed, lovely toning too. I also still enjoy your photo background, looks really good 🙂 Unfortunately, I don't have a denarius of Faustina II. Well, I once did, a long time ago before starting collecting ancients on a more or less serious basis. Had picked it up at a antique fair. Of course it was a fake. Little did I know. Anyway, keep showing your quality portraits. I enjoy seeing them! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian Posted May 22 · Member Share Posted May 22 Great coin and provenance. Mine exemplar of Diva Faustyna (RIC 753) with a legend: MATRI CASTRORVM (mother of the camp). Bought on Kuenker auction. 7 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambr0zie Posted May 22 · Member Share Posted May 22 (edited) My favorite Faustina II portrait: Another one I find attractive Posthumous And a nice bronze Edited May 22 by ambr0zie 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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