Pre-Long Beach Auction #80

Annia Faustina. Silver Denarius (3.22 g), Augusta, AD 221. Rome, under Elagabalus. ANNIA FAVSTINA AVG, draped bust of Annia Faustina right. Reverse CONCORDIA, Elagabalus, togate, and Annia Faustina, draped, standing facing one another, clasping hands; between, star. RIC 232; BMC p. 570, †; RSC 1. A superb example, boldly struck with the head of Annia in high relief. Lovely bluish and rose iridescent tone. A fantastic coin and certainly a highlight of this important collection. Of the highest rarity, only the fifth specimen known and possibly the finest. One of the greatest rarities of the entire Imperial series. Extremely Fine.

Although of uncertain parentage, Annia Faustina was descended from the emperor Marcus Aurelius on both sides of her family. She shared a close personal friendship with the Severan matriarch and emperor Elagabalus' grandmother, Julia Maesa, who encouraged her to marry her grandson in an effort to help salvage his reputation, which at this point was considerably tarnished for having married a Vestal Virgin on top of numerous other offenses to Roman sensibilities. Although we do not know her motivations for doing so, Annia Faustina agreed to the marriage, this in spite of an age difference of a generation (she was at least twice as old as the prospective groom), and the fact that she was already married. She divorced her husband, who was promptly executed on trumped-up charges of treason, and consummated her marriage to Elagabalus in either June or July AD 221. The emperor soon grew tired of her, however, and they divorced before the year was over, her retiring to private life, and Elagabalus remarrying his second wife, Aquilia Severa.

A great rarity in the Roman series, there are but five denarii of Annia Faustina known, two of which reside in museum collections (Paris and Madrid). The other two examples that are available to collectors, Leu 22, 316 = Jameson Collection, 214 and Gorny & Mosch 155, 342, share the same dies as our specimen.
Estimated Value $100,000-UP.
Ex NAC 64 (17-18 May 2012), 1226; Triton XII (5 January 2009), 704.