Antoninus Pius Genius Populi Romani denarius - one of my favourite coins with an interesting story

This coin has an interesting purchase history and provenance. It was offered to me by a friendly coin dealer, but after declaring the purchase, it turned out that he had incorrectly checked the price and it was more than twice as high. I held off on buying it, but it wouldn't leave me alone. I fell in love like never before. Especially since I admired its beauty live, holding it in my hands. The consignor was unwilling to negotiate, but after some time I realized it would be offered at an online auction. I decided to fight for it with redoubled determination, knowing that it was even more beautiful live. Ultimately, I managed to get it for a price slightly higher than I had offered live many months earlier. I was even irritated by that "waste of time", but the most important thing was that this denarius finally came to me.

Many months after the purchase, when I showed it on one of the forums, I got a call from the original owner and consignor, who had then withdrawn the coins from the seller and decided to fight for a larger amount at auction.

We chatted collector-wise and at some point he told me that he had bought the coin from a Warsaw collector, Andrzej Remez (or Remes), who indicated that the coin supposedly came from the collection of General Juliusz Rómmel (1881-1967), a Polish military commander, a general of the Polish Armed Forces. He joined the Polish Army in 1917. During the Polish–Soviet War, he gained great fame for achieving a decisive victory in the Battle of Komarów, the largest cavalry engagement of the 20th century. He was also a commander of two Polish armies during the invasion of Poland in 1939.

I have no other confirmation of this provenance, but as a relatively young collector, I hope that one day I will learn something interesting on this matter.

Antoninus Pius is one of my favorite Roman Emperors also considering his portraits. This is another example of pleasing to my eye denarius minted during his reign. Love the bust but the Genius of Populi Romani is also in great shape despite the passage of years. I tried to catch the light on it the best I could to show you the beautiful patina and flow lines. 

🔸Minted in Rome 140-143 A.D.
🔸19/17,8mm/3,18g
🔸OBV: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS III, Head of Antoninus Pius, bare, right
🔸GENIVS POP ROMANI, Genius of the Roman people, naked to the waist, standing front, head right, holding a vertical sceptre in right hand and cornucopiae in left
🔸RIC 70

"Genius Populi Romani" can be translated to "the genius of the Roman people" or "the spirit of the Roman people”. In Roman mythology, the term "genius" referred to a guardian spirit that protected individuals or groups. The "genius" of the Roman people, in particular, was seen as a protective force that watched over and guided the entire Roman civilization. This figure represents the "genius" of the Roman people and is often associated with abundance, fertility, and prosperity. Overall, the phrase "Genius Populi Romani" was a way for the Romans to express their pride in their civilization and their belief in the protective power of their culture's guardian spirit. Here we have an example of Genius of Roman people from Antoninus Pius denarius, naked to waist, standing front, head right, holding vertical sceptre in right hand and cornucopiae in left.

Riferimento : RIC 70, ex General Juliusz Rómmel(?)

Fonte : https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn-Q8ijrcPH/

Collezione : Deep into the Golden Age - Antoninus Pius