First Spouse Coins

The obverse of this silver denarius features the Roman Empress Faustina the Elder (100-141), who is widely regarded as one of the great women of Antiquity. As the wife of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius, she worked on behalf of children's charities and promoted the education of young girls. She was the mother of Faustina the younger, who became the wife of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. On the reverse is Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and of the love of a mother for her children.