FAUSTINA SENIOR, Wife of Antoninus Pius
Lifetime Issue Silver denarius. S-4667. Obverse : draped bust of Faustina Sr. right, with "FAVSTINA AVG ANTONINI AVG P P" around. Reverse : Concordia, seated left, holding a patera and resting left arm on cornucopiae, with "CONCORDIA AVG" around. 17.4 x 18.6 mm. 3.15 grams ...... gF-aVF $57.50
Faustina Senior was married to Antoninus Pius before he came to the throne in AD 138 and unfortunately she died less than three years later in AD 141. Antoninus Pius must have held her in very high regard for he never re-married and he continued to strike coins in her honor, with her name and image, until the end of his reign. Coins issued for her prior to her death are quite scarce, but can be easily identified as they lack "DIVA" at the beginning of the obverse legends.