CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY
- Emperor:
- Faustina I the Elder, struck under Antoninus Pius
- Denomination:
- AR Denarius
- Composition:
- Silver
- Date:
- 141-161 AD
- Obverse:
- DIVA FAVSTINA, Bust of Faustina I, draped, right, hair elaborately waved and coiled, with bands across the head, drawn up at the back and piled in a round coil on top
- Reverse:
- AV GV S-TA, Ceres, veiled, draped, standing left, holding two corn-ears downwards in right hand and lighted torch, vertical at side, in left
- Reference:
- BMCRE IV [Pius] 409; RIC III 360; Cohen II 78; RSC II 78; SRCV II 4582
- Size:
- 18.33mm, 3.2g, 6h
- Province:
- Rome
- Grade:
- EF, well struck, strike flow lines, well centred, tight flan, high relief, lightly toned, lustrous surfaces
- Provenance:
- ex H.D. Rauch eAuction 24 (29 September 2017), Lot 214
Faustina I the elder was born circa 100 AD and died in 140 AD. She was the wife of the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius, one of the Five Good Emperors. This sestertius was part of a third issue of coinage in her honour after her death and is likely to have been minted some time between the end of the second issue (141 AD) and the end of Antonius Pius's reign as Roman Emperor, most likely toward the end of that reign. A more precise dating is not currently known. The coinage bears the legend DIVA FAVSTINA, not DIVA AVGVSTA, as the title of Augusta had passed onto her daughter, Faustina II the Younger. Ceres was the Roman goddess of agriculture. She features prominently on coins of Faustina.
I, Peter A. Piliouras of Ancient Coin Traders irrevocably guarantee for life to the Purchaser that this ancient coin is authentic. If this coin is deemed not to be authentic by a professional certification service, then I will refund to the Purchaser the full cost of acquiring the coin (including shipping) together with the certification fees.
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Signed: Peter Anthony Piliouras
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Date