Faustina II Sestertius RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1651

Monetary Context and Denominational System

During the mid-second century AD, the Roman imperial monetary system functioned under the stable tri-metallic framework consolidated by Augustus and maintained through the Antonine dynasty. Within this hierarchy, the sestertius served as the principal large-format base-metal denomination, valued at one-quarter of a silver denarius or four copper asses. Unlike smaller fractional denominations such as the as and quadrans, which were minted from pure copper, the sestertius was manufactured from orichalcum, a golden-toned brass alloy composed primarily of copper and zinc. This substantial physical flan provided imperial die-engravers with an expansive surface ideal for nuanced portraiture and elaborate allegorical compositions. In the reign of Marcus Aurelius, civic and fiscal reliance on the sestertius remained strong across the western provinces and the Italian peninsula. The denomination carried the traditional senatorial mark S C (Senatus Consulto), maintaining the constitutional fiction that base-metal coinage was authorized by decree of the Roman Senate, even as administrative and aesthetic control emanated directly from the imperial court. Under Marcus Aurelius and his co-emperor Lucius Verus, coinage struck for female members of the imperial family fulfilled crucial political roles, reinforcing dynastic legitimacy, female fertility, and the divine patronage safeguarding the realm.

Production Standards and Mint Organization

The entire emission of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1651 was executed by the central imperial mint at Rome, which held an effective monopoly over official western brass and silver production in this period. Production of the sestertius involved casting thick, circular or slightly irregular planchets in open or bipartite moulds, which were then cold- or warm-struck between hand-cut iron or bronze dies. Physical specimens of this issue typically weigh between twenty-two and twenty-six grams, although individual weights vary due to batch-al-marco manufacturing practices where mint officials prioritized total coin count per weight of metal rather than rigorous individual flan calibration. Diameters for the issue generally range from thirty to thirty-three millimetres, with die axes predominantly aligned in the standard medallic or inverted orientations common to Rome (often around twelve or six o'clock). Over the course of the issue, multiple working dies were cut by specialized engravers (scalptores), resulting in perceptible variations in letter size, spacing, the depth of portrait relief, and minor stylistic details of the drapery and hair. Metallurgical analyses of mid-to-late Antonine orichalcum demonstrate a gradual decline in natural zinc content relative to earlier Julio-Claudian baselines, as mint workers routinely melted down older brass coinage with fresh copper, resulting in alloys with increased trace elements of lead and tin.

Obverse Iconography and Portrait Typology

The obverse of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1651 displays the right-facing bust of Faustina the Younger, draped in standard Roman fashion with folds of a stola and palla gathered across the shoulders and truncation. Numismatists and art historians classify the portraiture of Faustina II into distinct chronological hairstyles, which served as the primary barometer of royal fashion across the empire. On this type, her coiffure is depicted in her mature style: the hair is elaborately dressed in soft, nearly vertical waves framing the temple and cheek, drawn smoothly back across the crown, and fastened into a low, coiled chignon positioned at the nape of the neck. Certain dies exhibit secondary stylistic treatments, including subtle variations where a single or double strand of pearls is woven into the coiffure, or where delicate accent curls escape along the cheek and neck. The relief is typically deep and rounded, conveying an idealized yet mature countenance that distinguishes these later lifetime issues from her youthful portraits produced under her father, Antoninus Pius. Surrounding the portrait, the inscription FAVSTINA AVGVSTA is arranged clockwise along the outer rim, framed by an engraved border of dots.

Reverse Iconography and Cultural Symbolism

The reverse composition is dedicated to Juno Regina, queen of the gods and consort of Jupiter, personifying regal authority, civic protection, and marital fidelity. Juno stands draped in a long tunic and mantle, facing left in a classicizing pose. In her extended right hand, she holds a patera, a shallow libation dish used in ritual offerings, signifying active piety and sacrifice on behalf of the state. Her left hand grasps a tall vertical sceptre, the quintessential emblem of divine sovereignty. Standing to her left at her feet is a peacock, the sacred theriomorphic attribute of Juno, facing toward or beside her. Flanking the lower fields to the left and right of the divine figure are the large capital letters S and C, denoting Senatus Consulto. The depiction of Juno Regina on coinage of the Augusta established an explicit mythological parallel between the heavenly divine pair, Jupiter and Juno, and the terrestrial rulers, Marcus Aurelius and Faustina. By invoking Juno under her majestic epithet Regina rather than Lucina or Conservatrix, the type emphasized Faustina's elevated imperial majesty as the premier matron of the Roman state.

Epigraphy and Legend Structure

The epigraphic program of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1651 is concise and traditional. The obverse legend reads FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, omitting her father's or husband's names and omitting the title Augusta Mater Castrorum (Mother of the Camp), which she received in AD 174. The use of this simple titular formula began under Antoninus Pius following her elevation to Augusta upon the birth of her first child in AD 147 and persisted through much of Marcus Aurelius's reign. The reverse legend reads IVNONI REGINAE, cast in the dative case to signify a dedicatory offering: 'To Juno the Queen'. This grammatical structure directly presents the coin as an act of public reverence, expressing vows or gratitude to the divine protector. The field inscription S C stands for Senatus Consulto ('by decree of the Senate'), retaining the standard formula for Roman senatorial bronze. Letterforms across surviving dies are characteristic of the Antonine mint, featuring broad serifed Roman capitals, open-topped letters, and neatly spaced punctuation stops when present.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the standard reference corpus The Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC), volume III, Harold Mattingly and Edward Sydenham assigned this specific sestertius type to catalogue number 1651, classifying it within the extensive group of issues struck for Faustina II under Marcus Aurelius between AD 161 and her death during the Danubian campaigns in AD 175 or early 176. Because the coin lacks explicit tribunician years, consulships, or imperial acclamations, its exact chronological placement within this fifteen-year window depends upon die studies and portrait stylistic evolution. In his foundational corpus of the coinage of Marcus Aurelius (MIR 18), Wolfgang Szaivert analyzed Faustina's changing portraiture, identifying the low-chignon hairstyle seen on RIC 1651 as characteristic of her middle to late Antonine coinages, likely concentrated between approximately AD 165 and 175. This reverse type was struck across multiple denominations, appearing simultaneously on aurei and denarii in precious metals as well as medium bronzes (dupondii and asses), reflecting a coordinated multi-denominational public campaign celebrating the empress through the medium of Juno Regina.

Circulation, Archaeological Context, and Survival

As a principal token of high-value daily commerce, sestertii of Faustina II circulated extensively across the western and central provinces of the Roman Empire, including Italia, the Danubian frontier, Gallia, Hispania, and Britannia. Archaeological site finds and hoards demonstrate that sestertii of the Antonine period enjoyed extraordinary longevity in active circulation, often remaining in trade networks for fifty to one hundred years after their initial striking, well into the mid-third-century monetary crises. Because of this extended velocity of circulation, many surviving specimens display moderate to heavy wear, with higher relief elements such as the hair curls and the peacock's plumage smoothed down. Furthermore, orichalcum sestertii buried in varied European soils developed characteristic surface patinas ranging from emerald and dark green malachite encrustations to dark brown or black cuprite layers. Modern hoards containing RIC 1651, recorded in regional archaeological surveys and museum corpuses, illustrate that this type was minted in substantial volumes, confirming that Juno Regina remained one of the most prominent reverse motifs associated with Faustina during her lifetime.

References

1. Diva Faustina: Coinage and Cult in Rome and the Provinces. pp. 25-38
2. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. pp. 535-536
3. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1651. ric.3.m_aur.1651
4. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 345, no. 1651
5. Die Münzprägung des Kaisers Marcus Aurelius nebst Lucius Verus und Commodus (MIR 18). Series Faustina II