Diva Faustina Senior. Died AD 140/1. AV Aureus (19.5mm, 7.17 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Antoninus Pius, AD 145-147. Near EF.

CNG Feature Auction 133
Lot: 564. Estimated: $ 2 500

Roman Imperial, Coin-in-Hand Video, Gold

Sold For $ 8 750. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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Diva Faustina Senior. Died AD 140/1. AV Aureus (19.5mm, 7.17 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Antoninus Pius, AD 145-147. Draped bust right, wearing hair bound in pearls on top of her head / Ceres, veiled and draped, standing left, holding torch and scepter. RIC III 356a (Pius); Beckmann dies df50/CA6; Calicó 1763a. Near EF.

Born into an aristocratic Roman senatorial family of Spanish descent, Annia Galeria Faustina was distantly related to the Emperor Hadrian. In about AD 115, she married Titus Fulvius Antoninus, a respected senator, and through her connections he was drawn into Hadrian’s inner circle and eventually chosen as his successor, achieving the throne in AD 138. Faustina was acclaimed Augusta, or Empress, and Antoninus honored her extensively on the coinage. Her vivacity and compassion for the poor made her popular with the Roman people. Her distinctive hairstyle, with a tight coil atop her head, was adopted by women throughout the Empire. Only two years into the reign, Faustina died of an unknown illness. The grief-stricken Antoninus secured her deification and issued an immense coinage in her name, the largest for any Roman woman to that point. This attractive aureus and the following examples were minted as part of the posthumous series.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 133 lots will be determined at the live online sale that will be held on 15-16 September 2026.

CNG Feature Auction 133 – Session Two – Lot 309-594 will be held Tuesday morning, 15 September 2026 beginning at 2:00 PM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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