Crispina Sestertius RIC III Commodus 672A

Monetary Context and Denominational Role

The sestertius held an essential and commanding position in the monetary system of the high Roman Empire. Introduced as a silver coin during the mid-Republic, it was re-established during the monetary reforms of Augustus in the late first century BC as the premier large-format token denomination struck in orichalcum, a golden-hued copper-zinc alloy commonly referred to as brass. Valued at one-quarter of a silver denarius or four copper asses, the sestertius functioned as the primary workhorse for intermediate commercial transactions, official accounting calculations, and major market activities throughout the provinces and Italian peninsula. Because of its broad flan, high relief, and wide circulation among everyday Roman citizens, soldiers, and merchants, the sestertius was also the premier vehicle for visual state propaganda. Imperial administrations utilized the expansive obverse and reverse fields to broadcast key political themes, dynastic announcements, religious dedications, and imperial virtues. The issue of RIC III Commodus 672A occurred during a critical period of dynastic consolidation. Following the marriage of Commodus to Bruttia Crispina in the summer of AD 178, the imperial mint initiated a comprehensive monetary series dedicated to the new empress. Producing this type in brass served not only to supply large token currency to a bustling Roman economy but also to reinforce public recognition of Crispina as Augusta and guarantor of imperial prosperity.

Production Standards and Minting Operations

Production of RIC III Commodus 672A was centered exclusively at the imperial mint of Rome, the sole facility authorized to produce regular senatorial copper-alloy coinage for the Western empire during this era. Minting involved casting heavy circular flans in orichalcum, which were subsequently heated and struck between hand-carved steel or bronze dies. By the late Antonine period, Roman brass exhibited varying degrees of zinc depletion compared to early Julio-Claudian issues, often containing small additions of tin and lead to facilitate metal flow and reduce melting temperatures. Sestertii of Crispina generally conformed to the weight standard maintained during the joint reign of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, with typical specimens clustering between 20 and 26 grams and possessing diameters ranging from 29 to 32 millimetres. Surviving dies demonstrate the technical expertise of the urban engravers, who executed Crispina's likeness with refined portrait modeling while maintaining clear, legible epigraphy. Die alignment for this series follows the characteristic Roman imperial standard of regular or near-regular six o'clock (coin orientation), although minor manual variations during striking occasionally produced slight axial deviations.

Obverse Portraiture and Stylistic Characteristics

The obverse of RIC III Commodus 672A presents a right-facing, draped bust of the empress Crispina. The rendering captures the intricate court fashion popularized among aristocratic Roman women in the late second century AD. Her hair is parted symmetrically down the center, horizontally waved along the temples, rolled carefully across the crown, and gathered into a heavy, woven chignon pinned low on the nape of the neck. This distinctive coiffure directly mirrors the styles worn by her mother-in-law Faustina the Younger and sister-in-law Lucilla, reflecting deliberate dynastic continuity in imperial female portraiture. The drapery is delicately arranged around the shoulders and neck, indicating aristocratic garments of fine linen or silk. While early portraits struck around the time of her marriage in AD 178 emphasize a youthful, idealized countenance, subsequent dies introduce subtly firmer, more mature facial contours. The field surrounding the portrait is unadorned, allowing the sculptural profile to dominate the visual composition within a neat border of fine dots.

Reverse Iconography and Religious Symbolism

The reverse displays the personification of Salus, the Roman goddess of safety, physical health, and overarching communal well-being. Salus is depicted draped in long traditional robes, seated facing left on a low-backed or backless throne. In her extended right hand, she holds a patera, a shallow libation dish, from which she feeds a serpent that ascends in coils around a small, burning cylindrical or rectangular altar positioned before her feet. Her left hand rests at her side, occasionally resting on the seat or holding the folds of her garment. The serpent and patera motif is directly derived from the iconography of the Greek Hygieia and Roman healing cults, symbolizing the continuous nourishment and preservation of life. In the context of an empress's coinage, Salus carries dual theological and political significance: she invokes divine preservation for the empress personally, particularly in her vital role as bearer of potential heirs to the throne, while simultaneously affirming the broader welfare (Salus Publica or Salus Augustorum) of the ruling household and the Roman state. Flanking the seated goddess in the lower fields are the bold letters S and C, representing the decree of the Senate.

Epigraphy and Inscriptional Analysis

The inscriptional program of RIC III Commodus 672A is concise and strictly adheres to late Antonine epigraphic standards. The obverse legend reads CRISPINA AVGVSTA, curving clockwise from the lower left to the upper right around the bust. This legend lacks any patronymic, imperial lineage, or husband's name, testifying to the intrinsic constitutional prestige accorded to the title Augusta once bestowed upon an imperial consort. The reverse legend is similarly direct, reading SALVS in the upper field above the seated figure, accompanied by S C divided across the lower left and right fields. The abbreviation S C, standing for 'Senatus Consulto' ('by decree of the Senate'), was an enduring constitutional marker on Roman base-metal coinage, signifying that while the imperial administration and mint directed the theme and design, the coin was officially issued through senatorial authority. The letterforms are cleanly cut with sharp serifs, showing consistent letter height and balanced spacing characteristic of the Rome mint workshops under Commodus.

Typology and Chronological Classification

Within the typology established by Harold Mattingly and Edward A. Sydenham in The Roman Imperial Coinage, volume III, this issue is classified as Commodus 672A, placed among the bronze issues struck for Crispina during Commodus's reign. Crispina received the title Augusta upon her marriage to Commodus in the summer of AD 178, during the joint rule of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Consequently, the production of her coinage began immediately under the dual principate and continued after Marcus Aurelius's death in March AD 180, when Commodus became sole emperor. Broad catalogue systems encompass her entire potential numismatic window, ranging from AD 178 down to AD 191, the traditional outer date for Commodus's reign. However, numismatic and historical scholarship, including the detailed chronological analyses by Wolfgang Szaivert in Moneta Imperii Romani, strongly indicates that Crispina's coinage terminated abruptly following her involvement in a dynastic conspiracy and subsequent banishment to Capri, commonly dated between AD 182 and 183. Variants within type 672A primarily involve subtle adjustments in the rendering of Salus's throne, the placement of the altar, and minor nuances in portraiture hair styling, rather than structural alterations of the legend or reverse composition.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Wear Patterns

As a principal denomination of everyday commerce, sestertii of Crispina circulated extensively throughout both western and eastern provinces of the empire, as well as the Italian heartland. Hoard data from Roman Britain, the Rhine frontier, Gaul, and the Danubian limes regularly record specimens of Crispina alongside those of Faustina the Younger, Lucilla, and Commodus himself. Due to the high purchasing power of the sestertius, these coins frequently remained in circulation for decades after their initial striking, often persisting in monetary pools well into the third century AD. As a consequence, surviving specimens commonly exhibit substantial handling wear, edge bruising, and deep patination resulting from burial in varied soil chemistries. Crispina's sudden political fall and execution did not lead to a formal or effective damnatio memoriae of her base-metal coinage; the Roman state rarely undertook the immense logistical effort to recall token brass currency already absorbed into market circulation. Consequently, type RIC III Commodus 672A continued to pass from hand to hand as valued currency long after the empress herself had vanished from imperial public life.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. pp. 828-831
2. Moneta Imperii Romani, Band 18: Die Münzprägung der Kaiser Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus und Commodus. Type commentary for Crispina Augusta
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Commodus 672A. ric.3.com.672A
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 442, no. 672A