Extremely Rare Antonine Bronze

315, Lot: 292. Estimate $200. Sold for $475. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

UNCERTAIN, Uncertain mint. Antoninus Pius, with Marcus Aurelius and Faustina Junior. AD 138-161. Æ (19mm, 3.45 g, 6h). Struck circa AD 145. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed(?) bust of Antoninus Pius right / Bareheaded and draped bust of Marcus Aurelius right, vis-à-vis diademed and draped bust of Faustina Junior left. RPC IV online temp. 10146, otherwise seemingly unpublished. Good Fine, brown patina, edge chip. Perhaps the second known specimen and the only example available to the collector (the other is in the collection of the Staatliche Museen in Berlin). Despite the edge chip, the finest of the two known.

From the R. D. Frederick Collection. Ex Freeman & Sear 11 (23 November 2004), lot 229.

Faustina was originally engaged to Lucius Verus, Marcus’ future co-emperor. Her father, however, dissolved this engagement and in AD 145 Faustina was married to Marcus. This coin of uncertain mint was possibly struck at the time of the marriage vows to celebrate the wedding.