Copper As of Antoninus Pius RIC 880

Copper As  (27.5mm 8.4g) Struck AD 150-151 Rome

Obv: IMP CAES T AEL HADR ANTONINVS AVG PIVS PP Laureate head right

Rev: TR POT XIIII COS IIII S-C, ANNONA AVG Annona seated left, holding grain-ears and cornucopia, modius with poppies at feet.

RIC III 880 
ex. Gem-n-I Coins

The Front (Obverse): The Emperor's Selfie

The front features a portrait of Antoninus Pius wearing a laurel wreath (the ancient Roman equivalent of a crown). The Latin letters stamped around his head are a big string of official titles:

IMP CAES T AEL HADR ANTONINVS AVG PIVS PP

When we untangle the abbreviations, it translates to:

• IMP CAES (Imperator Caesar): "Commander and Emperor."
• T AEL HADR: He was adopted by the previous emperor, Hadrian, so he took on Hadrian's family names (Titus Aelius Hadrianus).
• ANTONINVS AVG PIVS: His name, plus "Augustus" (The Majestic) and "Pius" (meaning dutiful, respectful, and good-hearted).
• PP (Pater Patriae): A massive honor meaning "Father of the Country."

The Back (Reverse): The Goddess of Groceries

The back of the coin gets to the real message the government wanted to send to the public. It features a goddess named Annona, who was the divine personification of Rome’s grain supply.

Keeping a city of a million people supplied with grain imported from Egypt and Africa was the emperor's number one job. If the grain ships were late, people rioted.

On this coin, Annona is chilling out on a comfortable seat, looking relaxed and confident. She is holding:

1. Wheat ears in her hand.
2. A cornucopia (a horn of plenty) overflowing with good stuff.
3. Right at her feet is a modius (a large measuring bucket used for grain distribution) packed with poppy plants (a symbol of abundance and fertility).

The message to any Roman holding this coin was simple: "Under Emperor Antoninus, the cupboards are full, prices are stable, and nobody is going hungry."

The text around her reads:

• ANNONA AVG: Celebrating the "Grain Supply of the Emperor."
• TR POT XIIII COS IIII: This is how historians date the coin! It means he was in his 14th year of holding "Tribunican Power" (the power to protect the people) and his 4th time serving as Consul (the highest elective office). This lines up perfectly with the years AD 150 and 151.
• S - C (Senatus Consulto): This means the coin was officially minted "By Decree of the Senate," which was standard protocol for copper and bronze money.

It’s a pocket-sized reminder from 1,800 years ago that good governance and a stable food supply have always been the ultimate signs of a successful society!