MARCUS AURELIUS
AD 161-180
AE Dupondius. 13.73g, 26.22mm
MINTED: Rome mint, 1 January - 7 Mar AD 161
REF: RIC (Pius) 1361; Cohen 776
OBVERSE: AVRELIVS CAESAR AVG PII F, bareheaded bust, draped and cuirassed, seen from behind. REVERSE: TR POT XV COS III, Faustina Jr. as Pietas standing left, holding two children in her arms; at her feet, a child on each side.

Notes:
Attractive chocolate brown patina.
This dupondius was struck between 1 January and March 7 161 AD, shortly before the death of Antoninus Pius. It was one of the last issues in the name of Marcus Aurelius as Caesar.  
 
Historical Notes:
Marcus Aurelius was one of the "Five Good Emperors" (so named by Niccolo Machiavelli) whose reigns during the 2nd century saw the Roman Empire prosper and reach the zenith of its military power. In his youth, Aurelius was most passionate about philosophy, and he was slow to embrace his responsibilities as a future emperor. However, under the guidance of his tutor, Fronto, and the stewardship of his adoptive father, the emperor Antoninus Pius, he eventually became a ruler who was, first and foremost, a selfless servant of the empire. 
 
Aurelius is today perhaps best known as the author of Meditations, 12 books that collect his personal reflections on life and philosophy, and by doing so exemplify many chief principles of the Stoic school of thought that he followed. Historian Michael Grant wrote that Marcus Aurelius was "the noblest of all the men who, by sheer intelligence and force of character, have prized and achieved goodness for its own sake and not for any reward".