Fausta, Augusta, 324-326. Follis (Bronze, 18 mm, 2.34 g, 6 h), Antiochia, July 326. Draped bust of Fausta to right, wearing single pendant earring and pearl necklace. Rev. FLAV MAX / FAVSTA / AVG / SMANTA in four lines; above, star-in-crescent; below, pellet. RIC 62. Very rare. Light deposits and with minor roughness on the obverse, otherwise, very fine.


Examples for Fausta are the rarest of all Antiochene dynastic bronzes. Evidence from other mints and emissions indicate that equal number of coins were struck at the time for Helena and Fausta, but that more examples for Helena have been preserved. Based on material from the mint of Constantinopolis, Ramskold (Aborted production (2020b), p. 239 and Table 5) proposed that the imbalance was due to withdrawal of coins for Fausta after her death and damnatio memoriae. The same imbalance is seen in the dynastic bronzes, with 36 examples known for Helena versus 25 for Fausta.