NGC MS. Annia Galeria Faustina, known as Faustina the Elder, was the wife of Antoninus Pius, who ruled the Roman empire from A.D. 137 to 161. She probably married Antoninus Pius about A.D. 110 and they had four children. The marriage appears to have been quite loving compared to others in the Imperial family. Although she died twenty years before him, Antoninus Pius did not remarry. On her death in A.D. 141, Antoninus Pius declared Faustina divine and built a temple in her honor in the Roman Forum. ••• Portraits of Faustina can be identified by her distinctive hairstyle and facial features. Evidence on her coins suggests that Faustina the Elder concerned herself with charitable work and the betterment of poor people's lives in Rome. One particular denarius reverse commemorates the PVELLAE FAVSTINIANAE (Faustina's Girls). This refers to a fund Faustina had established to pay for the education of girls from poor Roman families. ••• Faustina the Elder died in A. D. 141 and was deeply mourned by her husband. Antoninus Pius had his wife consecrated (declared a diva/goddess) and had millions of coins struck bearing her portrait. These silver denarius are some of the most easily obtained Roman coins and the multitude of types and reverse legends contribute greatly to the archaeological evidence for known history of the period. ••• This beautiful gold aureus was struck under her husband Antoninus Pius ca. 146-161 as a commemorative posthumous issue. This issue was struck only for a short period, and has become one of the rarer Roman Empress collectables.