Fausta as Augusta AE Follis 318-319 Thessalonica RIC 51 Nobilissima Femina Star
Fausta as Augusta, AE Follis, 318-319, Thessalonica
$415.00RIC VII Thessalonica 51.
Obv.: FAVSTA N F, Bust of Fausta, waved hair, mantled, right.
Rev.: Eight-pointed star within laurel wreath.
2.93 g
18.2 mm
Ex. Auctiones GmbH eAuction #72(20 June 2021), lot 171 (Hammered 161€) ; Ex. CNG 283 (25 July 2012), lot 412 (Hammered 340$US).
The coinage of Fausta as Augusta commenced with her elevation to full imperial status in AD 324. Preceding these issues, however, was a remarkable series struck circa AD 318 at the Thessalonica mint on which both Fausta and her mother-in-law, Helena, are accorded the lesser title of Nobilissima Femina (N F). Both ladies had borne this rank for a considerable time: Helena since Constantine's elevation to imperial status in AD 306, Fausta since her marriage to Constantine in March of the following year. The significance of this anepigraphic reverse remains uncertain, though it presumably contains some reference to divine providence and destiny.
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In stock