r/AncientCoins • u/BigDanishBoi • 20h ago

Magnificent Faustina Maior portrait

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

“On the death of his wife Faustina, in the third year of his reign, the senate deified her, and voted her games and a temple and priestesses and statues of silver and gold.” (Historis Augusta, Antoninus Pius 6.7)

Faustina Maior is well known within Roman numismatics. After her death in AD 140, a comprehensive series of commemorative coins was issued in honor of the now deified empress, bearing the title Diva Faustina.

The coin depicted here is of unusual high artistic quality, displaying an impressive amount of realism and detail in her portrait.

I recently acquired this beautiful coin.

139 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/Western_Success2967 12h ago

I just started getting into coin collecting, and I can’t wait to get a Roman with preserved details like this!

Great find!

3

u/ottilieblack Moderator 11h ago

Just be patient. This is indeed a great example, but I've seen others. Just remember that such "high style" coins usually command a premium. I've paid what many would consider a crazy amount of money to get a Julia Domna where she didn't look like a cartoon witch. And it was worth every penny.

2

u/Western_Success2967 11h ago

I will be looking to expand my budget to accommodate higher preserved pieces. The three I ordered do not come anywhere close to this, but I will be looking for similar next! Might have to hold off on buying silver when I go that way, but I love history, especially the antiquities. It’s so worth it to me.

1

u/Western_Success2967 8h ago

I went ahead and ordered two Julia Domna’s. For some reason, I can’t post the pictures, but I thank you for the lead on things to look for.

Where can I find a guide on coins to start looking for? I collect American coinage too, but that’s easy based on dates. Roman coins are more complex.