Obverse: CRISPINA AVGVSTA; Draped Bust of the
Empress Facing Right
Reverse: CONCORDIA; Two Hands Clasped
Together
Bruttia Crispina was the daughter of Lucius
Fulvius Bruttius Praesens, one of Marcus
Aurelius’ generals who served in the Sarmatian
campaign of 175 A.D. In order to reward his
dutiful general, Aurelius had Crispina betrothed
to his son Commodus in 177 A.D., the same year
Commodus was raised to the position of
Augustus and ruled alongside his father. In 182
A.D., a Senatorial plot against Commodus was
uncovered and repressed. Apparently Crispina
was implicated for she was banished shortly
thereafter under the charges of adultery to the
island of Capri where she was executed a year
later. Otherwise, little is known about the life of
Crispina. However, judging from the portraiture
on her coins, we can assume that she was a true
beauty.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the
coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who might have touched the coin before us, or
where the coin will venture to after it leaves our
hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of
the state that struck them, of a specific time and
location, whether contemporary currencies or
artifacts of a long forgotten empire. This
stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise
of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail
that is often lacking in contemporary machine-
made currencies. This coin is a memorial an
ancient Empress passed from the hands of
civilization to civilization, from generation to
generation that still appears as vibrant today as
the day it was struck.
- (C.673)
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