Only Issue Naming Galerius Antoninus – The Finest Known Example
CYPRUS, Koinon of Cyprus. Diva Faustina Senior, with Galerius Antoninus. Died AD 140/1 and before AD 138, respectively. Æ As or Dupondius (27mm, 10.56 g, 12h). Dies likely produced in Rome. Struck AD 140/1. ΘЄA ΦAYCTЄINA, veiled and draped bust of Diva Faustina right / M ΓAΛЄPIOC ANTωNINOC AYTOKPATOPOC ANTωNINOY YIOC, bareheaded and draped bust of Galerius Antoninus right. Overbeck,
Galerius 9-16 (Vs:9/Rs:1); Parks 22; RPC IV.3 Online 8345. Brown patina, smoothing. EF. Very rare.
Marcus Galerius Aurelius Antoninus was the son of Antoninus Pius and Faustina Senior. He died in infancy or childhood, before Antoninus became emperor in AD 138; a sepulchral inscription for him is in the Mausoleum of Hadrian. This provincial issue is the only coin naming him.
Of the sixteen specimens illustrated in RPC, a third of the museum pieces are casts or outright forgeries, illustrating how difficult it was for the major museums to acquire authentic specimens for their permanent collections. Of the remaining sales records, most have been tooled to some degree. While this coin shows evidence of smoothing there are no signs of tooling; this is the finest known example.
