Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XVI 26 Sep 2018
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Antoninus Pius AV Quinarius. Rome, AD 150-151. ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XIIII, bare head right / COS IIII, Liberalitas standing left, holding account board and vexillum, LIB-VI across fields. RIC 198a. 3.57g, 15mm, 6h.
Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare.
Ex Ambrose Collection.
Attested by the Historia Augusta (Life of Antonius Pius, IV, 9) as having been a generous and munificent emperor, Antoninus Pius is known to have given liberalities to coincide with major events in the Roman calendar such as the ninth centenary of the founding of the city of Rome in AD 148-149, and his third quinquennalia in 151-152. However the sixth largesse that he gave, which is celebrated in this reverse type, appears not to have been for a specific event save perhaps being given at the same time as a donative to the army; the first appearance of the vexillum as an attribute of Liberalitas in this series might have been intended to signify the coupling of the civilian largesse and army donative into one.
It is somewhat ironic to note that Antoninus Pius, while so generous with his largesse to the people and the games and events held to mark the ninth centenary of the city, did in fact devalue the Roman currency concurrently: the silver purity of the denarius was decreased from 89% to 83.5%, the actual silver weight dropping from 2.88 grams to 2.68 grams. Reverse types such as this one, associating the traditional Roman Virtues such as Liberalitas with the emperor, are therefore cast in a different light.
Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare.
Ex Ambrose Collection.
Attested by the Historia Augusta (Life of Antonius Pius, IV, 9) as having been a generous and munificent emperor, Antoninus Pius is known to have given liberalities to coincide with major events in the Roman calendar such as the ninth centenary of the founding of the city of Rome in AD 148-149, and his third quinquennalia in 151-152. However the sixth largesse that he gave, which is celebrated in this reverse type, appears not to have been for a specific event save perhaps being given at the same time as a donative to the army; the first appearance of the vexillum as an attribute of Liberalitas in this series might have been intended to signify the coupling of the civilian largesse and army donative into one.
It is somewhat ironic to note that Antoninus Pius, while so generous with his largesse to the people and the games and events held to mark the ninth centenary of the city, did in fact devalue the Roman currency concurrently: the silver purity of the denarius was decreased from 89% to 83.5%, the actual silver weight dropping from 2.88 grams to 2.68 grams. Reverse types such as this one, associating the traditional Roman Virtues such as Liberalitas with the emperor, are therefore cast in a different light.