FAUSTINA II
AD 161-175
AE Sestertius. 22.15g, 32.4mm
MINTED: Rome mint, AD 161-175
REF: RIC 1663 (S); Cohen 169; BMC 933
OBVERSE: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, draped bust right, hair fastened in bun and ornamented with two bands of pearls.
REVERSE: M[ATRI MA]G[NAE], Cybele seated right, holding drum on knee, between two lions; [S C in exergue].
 
Provenance:
From an old Swiss collection, purchased in the 1960s or 1970s from Numiphil Basel (with their original ticket)
 
Notes:
Dark green patina with some surface roughness.  
These large bronze coins, valued at a quarter of a silver denarius, were the workhorses of the Roman economy between the 1st and 2nd century AD.  They frequently circulated for many decades and the wear exhibited on examples such as this one attest to their usage by the common populace of Rome.  
 
Historical Notes:
Faustina the Younger was the daughter of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius, betrothed to one his adopted sons and successors, Marcus Aurelius. Some historical records have cast Faustina in a poor light, suggesting that she was guilty of adultery and even treasonous political machinations. Other sources, however, say that the couple loved each other, and Faustina frequently accompanied Aurelius on his military campaigns and was held in great respect by the soldiers. In 175, while with Aurelius at a military camp in Halala in Cappadocia, Faustina suffered a fatal accident and died. Stricken with sorrow, Aurelius had her deified and had Halala renamed Faustinopolis in her memory. She had given birth to thirteen of their children.