Empress Faustina the Elder Denarius - 141 CE - Roman Empire - 6/15/23 Auction

Includes complimentary glass top display box. Obverse: Bust of Faustina I, draped, right, hair elaborately waved in several loops round head and drawn up and coiled on top Reverse: Ceres, veiled, draped, seated left, holding corn-ears in extended right hand and lighted torch, vertical, in left Description: The Roman denarius was an ancient silver coin that played a central role in the Roman economy from the late Republican era through the Imperial era. Originally, it was a high-quality silver coin, consisting of roughly 95% pure silver. However, as the Roman Republic transitioned into the Roman Empire, the silver content of the denarius gradually decreased in a process known as debasement. This allowed the government to produce more coins with the same amount of silver, which was primarily driven by the financial pressures of funding wars, infrastructure projects, and maintaining the empire's vast territories. As the silver content of the denarius decreased, it lost its intrinsic value