Antoninus Pius Æ As. Rome (or mint in Britain?), AD 154-155. ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XVIII, laureate head right / BRITANNIA COS IIII, Britannia seated left on rock, resting her head on her right hand, and resting her left on rock, round shield and vexillum in background. RIC 934; C. 117; BMCRE 1971. 10.00g, 25mm, 12h.
Very Fine.
Ex Paul Munro-Walker Collection, Roma Numismatics Ltd., E-Sale 35, 3 May 2017, lot 873.
It has been suggested that the Britannia asses of Antoninus Pius were struck at a mint in the province as significant quantities have been found on Romano-British sites, such as Coventina's Well at Carrawburgh Fort on Hadrian's Wall. However, the enterprise of creating a mint is enormous and out of proportion for such a small issue, the product of quintessentially Roman style die engraving. It is therefore far more likely that this issue was produced in Rome and shipped to Britannia in bulk for distribution.