EGYPT. Alexandria. Diocletian. A.D. 284-305. Potin tetradrachm. 7.99 gm. 19 mm. Dated RY 9 (A.D. 292/3). His laureate and cuirassed bust right / Serapis standing left, holding scepter; ENATOV to left, L to right, A in exergue. Cf. Milne 5063 (Elpis). Cf. Curtis 1988-1989 (same). Good Extremely Fine; sharply struck; fresh and crisp brown patina; very attractive.

Egypt was one of the most important Roman provinces from the start. Octavian first brought it under Roman rule by defeating Mark Antony and Cleopatra in 30 B.C. and annexing the former Ptolemaic kingdom. As the main provider of grain to the Empire it was its "bread basket," making it both wealthy and strategically vital. Roman prefects in Egypt held far more power than the governors of lesser territories. Though Roman Egyptian coinage is not as widely collected as coinage from elsewhere in the empire, it is a fascinating series, progressing as it does from the pre-Roman Ptolemaic series into later imperial styles and progressive debasements. These potin tetradrachms are particularly distinctive from the debased antoninianii the rest of the empire had to work with at this time. The group offered here presents a nice variety of reverse types.