Watch List notes:

JDL Collection Part II: Roman Coins
THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

In the name of Faustina II, died at the beginning of summer(fl) 176. Struck by Marcus Aurelius, March 7, 161 - March 17, 180.

Dupondius, Rome 161, Æ 13.72 g.
Obv. FAVSTINAE AVG - PII AVG FIL Draped and diademed bust of Faustina II right, hair fastened in bun; border of dots. Rev. PVDIC-ITIA Pudicitia seated left, holding veil with right hand; in exergue, S C.
Literature
Cohen 187
BMC RE IV, 375, 2159 RIC III, 194, 1404c
M.-M. Bendenoun, Coins of the Ancient World, A portrait of the JDL Collection, Tradart, Genève, 2009, 66 (this coin)
Condition
A portrait of enchanting beauty and a marvellous untouched enamel-like light green patina, good extremely fine.

Provenance
Tkalec AG, Zürich 1998, lot 181.
Schweizerischer Kreditanstalt 5, Bern 1986, 419.
There is no reason, necessarily, to doubt that the younger Faustina was a dutiful wife and empress, though rumours of her extramarital activities were current in her lifetime and persisted long afterward. Aurelius Victor records how Faustina, when vacationing in Campania, would linger in the tourist areas to choose as companions the best sailors who she observed wor- king in the nude, all to satisfy her "disgraceful passions." The author claims that in doing so the empresses' behavior had "... erupted to such a degree of shamelessness...".
The equally unreliable Historia Augusta declares that on one occasion Faustina was so consumed with lust for a gladiator that the Chaldaeans were consulted. They are said to have proscribed a solution in which the gladiator was murdered and the empress washed herself in his blood, after which she laid with her husband. Fantastic stories such as this are seldom taken seriously by modern historians. It is generally presumed that they were inventions by which the paternity of Faustina's only survi- ving son, Commodus, could be shifted from Marcus Aurelius to a person of lowly mind, for that future emperor possessed many degenerate qualities, as well as an intense interest in gladiato- rial contests.
The HA indicates that sensational stories of this kind were "cur- rent among the common people." Similar stories had circulated previously about other imperial women, including Augustus' daughter Julia, Drusus' wife Livilla, the sisters of Caligula, Clau- dius' third wife Messalina, and Nero's second wife Poppaea. The official version of Faustina's qualities, however, was quite different from that encountered in the realm of gossip. This du- pondius is a perfect example of how Marcus Aurelius wished to portray his wife, and to define her role in the state. Paired with her charming portrait is the figure of Pudicitia, who draws her veil to her face. This divinity, famous for her extreme modesty, was selected with a purpose in mind. Perhaps it was as a genuine reflection of Faustina's personality, or, perhaps it was intended to contradict gossip which had her lusting after gla- diators and soliciting the company of sailors. Though Pudicitia appears on a variety of Roman coins, she is commonly found on those of Faustina Junior and Lucilla, the wife of Marcus'
co-emperor, Lucius Verus.