Obverse: Draped Bust of the Empress Surrounded
by Inscription, “FAVSTINA AUG PII AUG FIL”
Reverse: Dove Standing Towards the Right,
Encircled by Inscription, “CONCORDIA”
Annia Galeria Faustina was born about 127 A.D.,
daughter of Emperor Antoninus Pius and
Faustina the Elder. Hadian engaged her to Lucius
Verus; but when Pius became Augustus on July
10, 138, he broke off the union and engaged her
to Marcus Aurelius. Due to her youthful age, the
wedding was postponed several years until 145.
Her first of perhaps thirteen children (including
future Emperor Commodus) was born in
November of 147, when she received the title of
Augusta. She accompanied Aurelius on some
campaigns and trips, and was with him when she
died at Halala in Cappadocia in late 175. She
was soon deified, and Halala was re-founded as
Faustinopolis.
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 ancient coin is a memorial
a powerful woman passed from the hands of
civilization to civilization, from generation to
generation that still appears as vibrant today as
the day it was struck, as if by the graces of
Aeternitas herself.
- (C.0407)
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