Faustina the Younger Sestertius, RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1642

Monetary and Dynastic Context

During the joint and sole reigns of Marcus Aurelius, the sestertius represented the largest regular denomination in Roman bronze currency, worth four asses or one quarter of a silver denarius. Although struck in an alloy historically dominated by orichalcum (a copper-zinc brass), sestertii of the later second century AD increasingly featured declining zinc levels as re-melted scrap metal entered the mint supply. Despite gradual metallurgical shifts, the sestertius maintained an essential economic function in everyday urban commerce, high-volume transactions, and public accounting across the empire. The issue of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1642 formed part of a prolonged series of base-metal commemorations struck for Marcus Aurelius's wife, Faustina the Younger, who had held the title of Augusta since AD 147. Through these heavy bronze issues, the Antonine administration projected themes of imperial fertility, security, and spiritual contentment, anchoring civic stability in the enduring continuation of the ruling family.

Production Standards and Minting

RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1642 was manufactured exclusively at the imperial capital mint in Rome, which possessed the technical apparatus and die-engraving workshops necessary for sustained heavy bronze production. Surviving specimens across museum collections and archaeological contexts typically demonstrate a target mass centered around 24 to 26 grams, with flan diameters ranging between 30 and 34 millimeters, although individual planchets vary noticeably due to ancient batch-casting tolerances. Die alignment for mid-to-late Antonine sestertii is predominantly upright or inverted (6 o'clock or 12 o'clock). Dies were engraved with high relief to maximize the dramatic physical presence of the empress's hair fashion and the standing allegorical figure, creating a tactile and visually authoritative coin intended to withstand heavy transactional wear.

Obverse Iconography and Portraiture

The obverse presents a right-facing bust of Faustina the Younger, draped in traditional imperial vestments. Her hair is rendered in an elaborate and distinctive mid-Antonine court style, characterized by nearly vertical waves drawn smoothly down the temples, tucked gracefully around the ears, and gathered at the nape of the neck into a low, neatly pinned chignon. Woven across her crown is an ornate head-circlet composed of a double row of pearls, a marker of exalted imperial status and mature matronly dignity. Several minor stylistic treatments exist in die execution, such as slight differences in the curvature of the pearl band, the volume of curls framing the cheeks, or the folds of the mantle at her shoulder, yet all maintain the unified stylistic identity catalogued under RIC 1642.

Reverse Iconography and Attributes

The reverse of the type features the personification Hilaritas standing and turned toward the left, clothed in full classical drapery. In her right hand she grasps a long, nearly vertical palm branch that rests near the ground line, while cradling a cornucopiae laden with fruit in her left arm. Flanking her lower drapery in the fields are the large letters S and C, denoting Senatus Consulto ('by decree of the Senate'), which affirmed traditional senatorial oversight of Rome's base-metal coinage. While Hilaritas on earlier imperial coinages had frequently been depicted alongside small children to signify imperial offspring, this specific composition isolates the deity with her primary agricultural and festive attributes: the palm branch signifying celebratory triumph and divine favor, and the horn of plenty signifying boundless material abundance for the Roman people.

Epigraphy and Legends

The epigraphy of RIC III Marcus Aurelius 1642 is succinct and unadorned. The obverse legend reads FAVSTINA AVGVSTA in unbroken or lightly spaced lettering around the upper circumference of the flan. By omitting paternal lineage references (such as 'Antonini Augusti Filia') that predominated during the reign of Antoninus Pius, this legend reflects Faustina's elevated standing as reigning consort following Marcus Aurelius's accession in AD 161. The reverse legend reads HILARITAS, positioned symmetrically along the upper margin, accompanied by S C divided across the lower left and right fields. The lettering is rendered in standard Roman capital script, executed with clean serifs and balanced spacing typical of the central Roman mint's master engravers.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the standard reference corpus of Roman Imperial Coinage, this design is catalogued under number 1642 of Marcus Aurelius, spanning the broad chronological bracket from his imperial accession in AD 161 to the death of Faustina the Younger in winter AD 175/176. Subsequent numismatic revisions, notably those of Paul Strack and Wolfgang Szaivert, have examined the evolution of Faustina's portraiture to narrow the probable striking window. The low chignon combined with a double pearl circlet, catalogued by Szaivert within her mature portrait series, is generally attributed to the middle phase of Marcus Aurelius's reign, particularly the later 160s or early 170s AD. This lifetime issue must be distinguished from the posthumous 'Diva Faustina' sestertii with consecration legends and veils, as well as distinct reverse types where Hilaritas is accompanied by infant figures representing royal children.

Circulation, Hoards, and Deposition

As the highest denomination among base-metal transactions, sestertii of Faustina the Younger saw extensive circulation across the Roman Empire, leaving a substantial archaeological trace in Italy, Gaul, Britain, the Rhine frontier, and the Danubian provinces. Site finds and major bronze hoards from the second and early third centuries AD frequently contain worn examples of RIC 1642 alongside sestertii of Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, and Commodus. Because bronze currency remained in active circulation for several decades, many surviving specimens display significant abrasion, chemical patination, or localized tooling from post-depositional ground corrosion. Its presence in frontier forts and civic settlements demonstrates that the dynastic propaganda embedded in Faustina's coinage penetrated all levels of provincial and military life.

References

1. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, Vol. IV: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. Faustina II, nos. 911-914
2. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. III: Antoninus Pius to Commodus. p. 345, no. 1642
3. Untersuchungen zur romischen Reichspragung des zweiten Jahrhunderts, Teil III: Die Reichspragung zur Zeit des Antoninus Pius. Faustina Minor Typenuntersuchungen
4. Die Munzpragung des Kaisers Marcus Aurelius, Moneta Imperii Romani 18. MIR 18, Typenverzeichnis Faustina Minor