Forgery, Antoninus Pius obverse with an Elagabalus reverse

Modern forgery imitating Antoninus Pius and Elagabalus, denarius, base metal, modern (n.d.), 3.41 g, 19 mm. Obverse: Laureate head of Antoninus Pius right with legend in the style of his issues. Reverse: VICTOR ANTONINI AVG; Victory advancing left, holding wreath and palm. A modern fantasy mule combining an obverse of Antoninus Pius (AD 138–161) with a reverse type attributed to Elagabalus (AD 218–222), an anachronistic pairing not produced by any Roman mint. Modern manufacture and fabric; not an official strike. Unlisted as such in the standard corpora; for prototypes cf. RIC III (Antoninus Pius) and RIC IV.2 (Elagabalus), denarii with VICTOR ANTONINI AVG.

Elagabalus adopted the imperial name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, and several of his coin types use the legend VICTOR ANTONINI AVG (“the victory of the emperor Antoninus”). This piece conflates that Severan legend with the portrait of Antoninus Pius, illustrating how the Antoninus name was reused across dynasties to claim continuity with the Antonine house, but also showing a combination that did not exist on official Roman issues.