A.D. 249-253 Herennia Etruscilla Silver Antoninianus

Born of a noble Italian family… married to a leader of the Roman Empire… mother of two sons… there’s little we know about the life of Herennia Etruscilla. But today, her beauty lives on thanks to the coinage issued in her honor – like this scarce, well-centered silver Antoninianus, hand struck over 1,750 years ago and depicting her profile on the obverse.

One thing we do know is that this empress was so revered, she kept the title of Augusta over another emperor’s wife! When Trebonianus Gallus took the throne following the deaths of Herennia’s husband and son in 251, he refused to name his own wife as Augusta – choosing instead to continue Herennia’s portrait on Rome’s coins throughout his 2-year reign. After that, she vanished into the annals of history – what could have happened to this mysterious empress? You decide, with her coin in your hand.