Silver Denarius Divvs Antoninus Pius by Marcus Aurelius RIC 429

Silver Denarius (18.6mm 3.19g) Divvs Antoninus Pius by Marcus Aurelius AD 161 Rome

Obv: DIVVS ANTONINIVS Antoninus Pius' barehead right

Rev: CONSECRATIO Eagle standing right with it's head facing left

RIC III (Aurelis) 429 Sear 5190
ex. Ricky Newhart (Hoardfinder)

1. The Front (Obverse): A New God in Town

On the front, you can see the profile of the emperor looking to the right.

• The Text: It reads DIVVS ANTONINVS.
• The Meaning: In ancient Rome, adding the word DIVVS (Divine) to an emperor's name meant they had passed away and been officially deified (turned into a god) by the Roman Senate.
• The Look: Notice how he isn't wearing a laurel wreath or a crown. He has a "bare head." This humble look was very typical for Roman consecration coins to show respect for the dead.

2. The Back (Reverse): The Flying Messenger

Flip the coin over, and you see a majestic eagle standing tall, looking back over its shoulder.

• The Text: It spells out CONSECRATIO, which means "consecration" or "deification."
• The Meaning: The eagle was the sacred bird of Jupiter, the king of the Roman gods. During a grand imperial funeral, the Romans would actually release a live eagle from the top of the funeral pyre as it burned. The belief was that the eagle would carry the emperor's soul straight up to the gods to live among the stars.

The Backstory: A Gift from an Adopted Son

Even though Antoninus Pius's name and face are on the coin, he didn't actually mint it.

When Antoninus died in 161 AD after a peaceful 23-year reign, his adopted son and successor—the famous philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius—took the throne. One of Marcus Aurelius’s very first acts as the new ruler was to honor his beloved adoptive father by throwing him a massive funeral, declaring him a god, and minting these special silver coins for the public.

By passing these coins around, Marcus Aurelius was sending a clever political message to the empire: "My father was a literal god, which makes me the proud son of a god. You can trust me to rule!"