Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 132 30-31 May 2022
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
Diocletian, 284 - 305
Aureus circa 284-294, AV 5.61 g. IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG Radiate and cuirassed bust r. Rev. IOVI CONSERVAT AVGG Jupiter standing l., holding thunderbolt and sceptre. C 217. RIC 137. Lukanc 8. Depeyrot 2B/1. Biaggi 1708 (this coin). Calicó 4467 (this coin illustrated).
Extremely rare. A very unusual and interesting portrait struck on an exceptionally
large flan. An almost invisible mark on the legend at one o'clock on obverse,
otherwise virtually as struck and almost Fdc
Ex Leu 25, 1980, 418 and Tkalec 22 April 2007, 334 sales. From the Biaggi collection (privately purchased from Hubert Herzfelder in 1952).
In 286, the ongoing conflict with the British usurper Carausius prompted Diocletian to elevate his imperial colleague, Maximian, to the rank of Augustus in the Western Empire. Formerly, Maximian had served as a subordinate Caesar to Diocletian as Augustus, but the new status gave him the same powers as Diocletian in the hope that it would permit him to better prosecute the war against Carausius. This hope seems to have been baseless as victory over the British usurper was only achieved in 293, after the creation of the Tetrarchic system and the campaigns of Constantius Chlorus acting as Maximian's Caesar. Despite Maximian's elevation to full imperial power-indicated on the present coin by the use of the plural AVGG rather than singular AVG in the reverse legend-the old iconography established during his time as Diocletian's Caesar continued. Maximian was still Herculius and was frequently represented on the coinage, while Diocletian remained Jovius and was associated with Jupiter reverse types. Diocletian's retention of his original Jovian character is amply illustrated by this aureus reverse. The radiate portrait on the obverse serves to indicate that the coin is the rare binio (double aureus) denomination rather than an aureus. The use of the radiate crown as an indicator of double denominations goes back to the coinage reforms of Nero, when a radiate portrait was used to distinguish the dupondius from the as. The radiate crown was also used to distinguish the antoninianus denomination (tariffed at two denarii but initially containing the silver of only one and a half) from the denarius in the third century.
View a video of this lot
Aureus circa 284-294, AV 5.61 g. IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG Radiate and cuirassed bust r. Rev. IOVI CONSERVAT AVGG Jupiter standing l., holding thunderbolt and sceptre. C 217. RIC 137. Lukanc 8. Depeyrot 2B/1. Biaggi 1708 (this coin). Calicó 4467 (this coin illustrated).
Extremely rare. A very unusual and interesting portrait struck on an exceptionally
large flan. An almost invisible mark on the legend at one o'clock on obverse,
otherwise virtually as struck and almost Fdc
Ex Leu 25, 1980, 418 and Tkalec 22 April 2007, 334 sales. From the Biaggi collection (privately purchased from Hubert Herzfelder in 1952).
In 286, the ongoing conflict with the British usurper Carausius prompted Diocletian to elevate his imperial colleague, Maximian, to the rank of Augustus in the Western Empire. Formerly, Maximian had served as a subordinate Caesar to Diocletian as Augustus, but the new status gave him the same powers as Diocletian in the hope that it would permit him to better prosecute the war against Carausius. This hope seems to have been baseless as victory over the British usurper was only achieved in 293, after the creation of the Tetrarchic system and the campaigns of Constantius Chlorus acting as Maximian's Caesar. Despite Maximian's elevation to full imperial power-indicated on the present coin by the use of the plural AVGG rather than singular AVG in the reverse legend-the old iconography established during his time as Diocletian's Caesar continued. Maximian was still Herculius and was frequently represented on the coinage, while Diocletian remained Jovius and was associated with Jupiter reverse types. Diocletian's retention of his original Jovian character is amply illustrated by this aureus reverse. The radiate portrait on the obverse serves to indicate that the coin is the rare binio (double aureus) denomination rather than an aureus. The use of the radiate crown as an indicator of double denominations goes back to the coinage reforms of Nero, when a radiate portrait was used to distinguish the dupondius from the as. The radiate crown was also used to distinguish the antoninianus denomination (tariffed at two denarii but initially containing the silver of only one and a half) from the denarius in the third century.
View a video of this lot