Roman Imperial: Antoninus Pius, as Augustus (AD 138-161). AV aureus (20mm, 7.20 gm, 5h). NGC MS 5/5 - 3/5, Fine Style....

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Ex J. Whitney Walter Collection, 1990

Antoninus Pius, as Augustus (AD 138-161). AV aureus (20mm, 7.20 gm, 5h). NGC MS 5/5 - 3/5, Fine Style. Rome, AD 153-154. ANTONINVS AVG PI-VS P P TR P XVII, laureate bust of Antoninus Pius left, seen from behind / COS-IIII, Antoninus Pius, togate, standing facing, head left, globe in outstretched right hand, volumen in left. Calicó 1530. RIC III 233e. Reflective toning with high, detailed relief.

Ex Heritage Auctions, Auction 3102 (2 November 2022), lot 31048; Roma Numismatics, Auction 6 (29 September 2013), lot 937; John Whitney Walter Collection (Stack's Auction, 29 November 1990), lot 47; Stack's (December 1990), lot 47.

Born in AD 86 as T. Aurelius Fulvius Boionius Antoninus to a wealthy family from Nemausus in Gaul. His grandfather and father had each risen to Consul, and like them, he entered the Senate at the appropriate age and enjoyed a distinguished career. Around AD 120, he married Annia Galeria Faustina, an aristocratic lady of Spanish descent with family ties to the emperors Trajan and Hadrian. He earned a consulship in AD 130 and served as the Proconsul of Asia. Tall, handsome, and widely admired for his sober judgment, he soon attracted the attention of Hadrian, who made him a close advisor. When Hadrian's intended successor, Aelius, died early in AD 138, the ailing emperor settled on the 52-year-old Antoninus as his replacement. Hadrian died on July 10, and Antoninus succeeded without serious opposition. Unlike the restless Hadrian, Antoninus never left Italy and was content to rule from Rome. Stability and equanimity were his watchwords, and his policies kept the Empire on an even keel for 24 years. He put no one to death, friend or foe. Only minor flare-ups in northern Britain and northern Africa disturbed the general peace. The frontiers were maintained and defended, with his decision to build a new wall in Britain 90 miles north of the Hadrian's Wall the only instance of imperial expansion. He carefully groomed Marcus Aurelius as his successor but neglected to provide him with any military training. In fact, the mild, civilian character of his reign may have unwittingly allowed storm clouds to gather and strengthen both within and beyond the frontiers. Nevertheless, later generations viewed Antoninus as the perfect emperor, and the tranquility of his reign took on the sheen of a lost golden age.

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