Ancient Roman Silver Coin of Empress Faustina the Elder (Wife of Emperor Antoninus Pius)

Own a Silver Coin Struck by the Emperor Who Built a Temple for His Dead Wife and Never Remarried

A real Roman silver denarius of Diva Faustina the Elder — struck after her death in AD 140 by the grief-stricken Antoninus Pius, who deified her, founded a charity for orphaned girls in her name, and built a temple to her in the Roman Forum that still partially stands today. NGC certified.

From $175.50

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👑 Obverse bears DIVA FAVSTINA — Divine Faustina — the inscription of imperial deification granted by a husband who refused to let her memory fade
🏛 Reverse depicts Ceres, Vesta, Juno, Aeternitas, or Pietas — the divine virtues associated with the empress Rome elevated to goddess status
🤲 A silver testament to one of the ancient world's most genuine expressions of imperial grief and devotion

Own This Piece of History

Why This Coin Matters

Faustina the Elder died in AD 140, just two years after her husband Antoninus Pius became emperor — and the scale of his response was extraordinary by any standard. He could have remarried, as Roman political convention would have supported. He did not. He could have honored her with a standard deification and moved on, as emperors before him had done with deceased family members. He did not.

Instead, Antoninus Pius founded the alimenta Faustiniana — a charitable institution specifically dedicated to supporting orphaned girls across the empire, funded in perpetuity in her name. He commissioned a temple to Diva Faustina in the Roman Forum, one of the most prestigious locations in the entire Roman world. That temple was later rededicated to both of them after his own death — the building now known as the Church of San Lorenzo in Miranda still incorporates its ancient Roman columns, standing in the Forum today as a monument to their union. He also struck an extensive series of posthumous coins bearing her deified portrait — including this denarius — ensuring her image circulated across the entire empire long after her death.

The DIVA FAVSTINA inscription on the obverse is one of the most poignant in Roman numismatics — a husband using the full machinery of imperial coinage to declare his wife divine, to keep her face in circulation, to refuse the erasure that death normally brought. Her family connections to Emperor Trajan had helped legitimize Antoninus's own claim to the throne, but the devotion this coin represents goes far beyond political calculation. Certified by NGC.

Perfect for:

• Collectors of Antonine dynasty, imperial women, and Roman posthumous deification denarii
• History lovers drawn to Faustina the Elder, Antoninus Pius, and Roman imperial family devotion
• DIVA FAVSTINA type, Roman empress portrait, and Five Good Emperors era enthusiasts
• Anyone seeking a historically moving, NGC certified piece from one of Rome's most genuinely touching imperial stories

What You'll Receive

• One authentic Roman silver denarius of Diva Faustina the Elder
• Denomination: AR Denarius (posthumous deification issue)
• NGC certified for authenticity and preservation
• Struck AD 138–140 — similar to examples shown (each coin is unique)

Buy with Confidence

• Guaranteed authentic ancient coin
• Carefully sourced and verified
• 30-day return policy
• Secure shipping from the U.S.

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