Probably one of the rarest types of Faustina I

[timka]

Hi!

I would like to share an interesting denarius with curious legend variant DIVAE FAVSTINAE. It has extra Es in the endings  to standard DIVA FAVSTINA. Does anyone know what implication is incurred to the intended meaning with new ending? Your explanation will be very much appreciated!

RSC cites the coin seen by Strack in Sofia (RD hoard) with such legend deviation. Also, acsearch disclosed  another obverse die (!) of DIVAE FAVSTINAE in combination with CONSECRATIO reverse. As well as, there is the die match  coin to my coin sold by Rauch in 2003. Not so much from internet. Perhaps this is due to the fact this type usually goes misdiscribed and therefore unnoticed. This one was misattributed and costed at the range of standard type.

RSC 40a

3,17gr, 18mm  

Thank you for your time.

Z.
  

[shanxi]

Maybe it's not important for the coin , but "DIVAE FAVSTINAE" was also used as inscription on the temple of Antoninus and Faustina, and is still there today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Antoninus_and_Faustina


On coins it was also used on a type for Faustina II:

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-146849

[Jochen]

Nom. DIVA
Gen. DIVAE
Dat. DIVAE
Acc. DIVAM
Abl. DIVA

DIVAE FAVSTINAE is Dative of the dedication, meaning "for Faustina the divine"

Best regards

[timka]

Ralf, thank you for your input and the lead to the temple! Hope to see it with own eyes one day). Your Faustina ll is in a too nice condition for this exceedinly rare type. It is interesting that RIC also cities the variety with three standards on reverse, which i have never seen so far. Though, i saw an aureus of this type with three standards in BM collection, so  there could be a denarius probably from the same dies.

Jochen, thank you for explaining, it makes perfect sense. Additionaly, I ve just found a sestertius with DIVAE FAVSTINAE /seated Aeternitas in BM. So it is not a typo of some sort, but rather regular legend.

[curtislclay]

Strack 441 cites two spec. of your denarius, both in Sofia. The one he illustrates, pl. VI, is from different dies than yours, and also has a different obv. legend break, DIVAE FAV - STINAE.

The CONSECRATIO denarius with same obv. legend: BMC 487 note reports a spec. in Dorset Museum. Rupert Pflaum showed a spec. on Forvm in July 2009. I have two spec. in my collection, from the same obv. die as each other, break AE - FAV, but not same die as your AETERNITAS piece.

[timka]

Curtis, thank you for completing the picture about this type.

So there were at least 3 obverse dies with longer legend, which should had delivered more coins to be recorded by now, as many many were overlooked. So, this is rare type but to certain degree. All truly rare types/variants usually come from single die.

It seem this type still has a low awareness. So lets keep it in secret))).

[timka]

The CONSECRATIO denarius with same obv. legend: BMC 487 note reports a spec. in Dorset Museum. Rupert Pflaum showed a spec. on Forvm in July 2009. I have two spec. in my collection, from the same obv. die as each other, break AE - FAV, but not same die as your AETERNITAS piece.

Recently I added a very worn specimen of DIVAE FAUSTINAE but with CONSECRATIO on the reverse. Its ob. die is different from the AETERNITAS denarius, as you can see on the pictures below, - the hair lines are a bit different. I suspect this denarius shares the ob. die with those two coins from Curtis' collection.