Diocletian in imperial mantle

I just got Diocletian (286-305) antoninianus (or "aurelianus") from the vcoins site of @Victor_Clark . It's a beauty, with Diocletian radiate left in an imperial mantle and holding an eagle-topped scepter.

22 mm. 4.56 grams. Some silvering. [My photo taken with an old iPad and assembled on my Mac.]
IMP DIOCLETIANVS AVG
Notice the imperial mantle, which I think was used only in years when the ruler held the consulship.
Bastien, Lyons 248.
RIC V.II Lyons (Lugdunum) 27H, dates it to "291-2" and very similar types to "290-1-2"
Sear IV 12655 (with photo) has "289-90". I think he got the date from Bastien, who is the authority on coins of Lyons.

The reverse type is
IOVI AVGG
Jupiter standing left holding Victory on globe and long staff, eagle at feet left. "A" below.
Diocletian was the Jovian emperor, so a type with IOVI and the image of Jupiter is appropriate.

I struck out in a few recent auctions, so I thought I would see if vcoins had something for me. I've been studying coins of the tetrarchy recently and writing about them:

http://augustuscoins.com/ed/tetrarchy/extra.html

So, naturally, I searched on "Diocletian", "Maximian" and the other tetrarchs and found this coin to be the best for the price. I'm not surprised it was from Victor.

You might show a coin of Diocletian or an ant of another tetrarch or a recent vcoins purchase. We'd be interested!

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I have nothing similar but for some reason it made me think of this IOVI TVTATORI AVGG (Jupiter the Protector) also of Lugdunum.


This Maximianus also shows the consular attire and has the reverse VOTIS X. I bought both of these on the same day in 2015 from DonZauche. I miss Don.

 

Nice coins. I don't have Diocletian in imperial mantle, but I have Maximinian in imperial mantle and with scepter:

 

And here is a recent acquisition of a Diocletian from Lugdunum. Not in imperial mantle, but with a rather distinctive bust:

 

Found these Jupiters in a cheap lot, and it shows

 

That one is from Ticinum

 

A "fancy" post-reform follis of Diocletian:

Diocletian. As Senior Augustus, 305-311/2 AD. Æ Follis (27mm, 9.74 gm, 11h). Cyzicus mint, 6th officina. Struck 305-306 AD. Obv: Laureate bust right, wearing imperial mantle, holding olive branch and mappa. Rev: Providentia standing right, receiving olive branch from Quies standing left, holding scepter; S-F across field; Kς in exergue. RIC VI 22a.
The reverse is as I bought it.

 

These are my favourite Diocletians. In fact, this is one of my favourite series of all Roman coins.

 

True, thanks for the correction. I have it correctly described in my collection, but just made the wrong ad-hoc attribution.

 

I have to go back to Probus to find in my coins a similar mantle:

PROBUS, Antoninianus
Ticinum, 281-282
3.93 g - 23.5 mm
C 418 - RIC Vb 516 - S -
IMP C PROBVS AVG, Radiate bust of Probus to left, wearing imperial mantle and holding eagle-tipped scepter.
PAX AVGVSTI, Pax standing left, holding branch in her right hand and transverse scepter with her left.

 

DIOCLETIAN
AE Follis
OBVERSE: DN DIOCLETIANO BAEATISSIMO SEN AVG, laureate bust right in imperial mantle, holding olive branch & mappa
REVERSE: PROVIDENTIA DEORVM QVIES AVGG, Providentia standing right, extending right hand to Quies standing left, branch downward in right hand, leaning left on vertical sceptre, pellet in right field, TT in ex.
Struck at Ticinum, 305 AD
6.8g, 28mm
RIC VI 56a

 

Some really nice coins posted in this thread.

This is my only Diocletian type coin, an abdication follis, post reform of Antioch, 308 AD.

10.5 grams

 

Superb patina, @robinjojo!

 

One of my favorites from Diocletian because somebody at the mint really messed up. Though RIC attributed this issue to Trier, it is actually from Cyzicus. See the president's address of J.P.C. Kent in Numismatic Chronicle 1987. Apparently, an engraver at Cyzicus "reproduced mindlessly" the design from Trier and included the Trier mintmark, then had to squeeze in the Cyzicus mintmark between the figures on the reverse. He further deduces that Trier must have been the pattern sent to each mint; which was then "copied with widely varying degrees of intelligence"



Diocletian
A.D. 305- 307
27mm 7.6g
D N DIOCLETIANO BEATISSIMO SEN AVG; Laureate and mantled bust r., holding olive-branch and mappa.
PROVIDENTIA DEORVM QVIES AVGG; Providentia standing r., extending hand to Quies standing l., holding branch and leaning on scepter, KS between; S-F across fields.
In ex. PTR
RIC VI Trier 671

 

I would have said Ticinum. Can you provide a reference?

 

I wouldn't recognize an imperial mantle if it weren't pointed out to me, but Diocletian supposedly wears one on this abdication follis:

Diocletian, billon abdication Follis, 305-307 AD, Trier Mint. Obv. Laureate bust right in imperial mantle (trabea), holding olive branch and mappa, D N DIOCLETIANO BAEATISSIMO SEN AVG / Rev. Providentia standing right, holding [scroll or short scepter?] and drapery with left hand and extending right hand to Quies standing left, holding branch downward with right hand and leaning on scepter with left hand, S - F across fields, PROVIDENTIA DEORVM QVIES AVGG; PTR in exergue. 27x28 mm., 9.6 gm. RIC VI Trier 673a (p. 208), Sear RCV IV 12927. [Die match to example sold by Numismatik Naumann in 2015; see https://www.acsearch.info/image.html?id=2337893.]



As does Constantine II on this coin:

Constantine II Caesar (son of Constantine I), Æ reduced Follis. small bust type, Heraclea Mint (5th Officina), 317 AD. Obv. Small laureate half-bust of young Constantine II left, wearing imperial mantle, holding mappa in right hand and globe and scepter in left hand, D N FL CL CONSTANTINVS NOB C / Rev. Campgate with five rows, three turrets, no door, and no star, PROVIDEN-TIAE CAESS; in exergue, mintmark MHTЄ [Epsilon = 5th Officina]. RIC VII 20 (p. 545), Sear RCV V 17140, Cohen 107. 18 mm., 3.31 g. (Purchased from Kirk Davis).



And Probus on this one:

Probus, 276-282 AD, silvered billon Antoninianus, Cyzicus Mint 280 AD. Obv. Radiate bust left wearing imperial mantle and holding eagle-tipped sceptre, IMP C M AVR PROBVS P F AVG / Rev. Sol standing facing in spread quadriga, with right hand raised, holding globe and whip in left hand, the horses spread, two on l. and two on r., SOLI INVICTO. CM in lower center above XXI Q in exergue (Officina 4 - Quarto). RIC V-2 Cyzicus 911, Sear RCV III 12041 (ill), Cohen 682, Pink [Karl Pink 1949], p. 44, series 3. 23 mm., 4.1 g.

 

I have owned a few examples of the OP over the years.

@Valentinian - with regards to dating - neither dating cited seems to align with Bastien. Bastien 323 (39 examples cited), allocated to Emission 7 and dated to Spring A.D. 290 – A.D. 291 by Bastien.



I have gathered a few of the mantled types from Lugdunum from this period.

Max. Herc. from the same issue.

Obv:– IMP MAXIMIANVS AVG, Radiate bust left in imperial mantle, holding sceptre surmounted by eagle
Rev:– PAX AVGG Pax standing left, with Victory on globe and scepter
Minted in Lugdunum (B in exe.). Emission 7, Officina 2. Spring A.D. 290 A.D. 291
References:– RIC V Part 2 399 Bust Type H (S). Bastien Volume VII 387

Obv:– IMP MAXIMIANVS AVG, Radiate bust left in imperial mantle, holding eagle tipped sceptre
Rev:– SALVS AVGG, Salus standing right, feeding snake from patera
Minted in Lugdunum (C in exe.). Emission 7, Officina 3. Spring A.D. 290 A.D. 291
References:– RIC V Part 2 422 Bust Type H. Bastien Volume VII 416 (22 examples cited)


The same type bust continued into the later issues

Emission 10. 3rd Series. 1st March A.D. 293 – 20th November A.D. 293
References:– RIC V Part 2 466 Bust Type H (S). Bastien 528 (2 examples cited)


Emission 11, November to End A.D. 293
Reference:– RIC V Pt 2 Lugdunum 447 Bust Type H. Cohen 556. Bastien VII 581 (7 examples cited)


Issue 7 also used the scarcer imperial mantle with globe






and from the same issue an even scarcer but poor condition mantle only but hot holding anything

 

Yes its Ticinum. Victor had already pointed out my error.

 

That is an impressive group of ants with imperial mantles. I like to see thoughtfully assembled collections.

I have the companion piece to the OP coin for Maximian in imperial mantle. It has IOVI AVGG even though Diocletian was the Jovian emperor and one might expect the parallel piece to be with Hercules and not Jupiter.

Maximian
IMP MAXIMIANVS AVG
IOVI AVGG
A in exergue. Jupiter left holding Victory on globe and long scepter, eagle at feet left
Bust left in imperial mantle with eagle-tipped scepter. A in exergue.
RIC V.II Maximian 384, page 265, "Lugdunum, 290-1"
Bastien 338 p.177, 7th emission, 1st officina (290-291 AD)

 

Diocletian (A.D. 284-305) AE Follis

Weight: 6.90 grams

Diameter: 23 mm

Mint: Follis struck at Alexandria (ALE Mintmark) between 308 and 310, after his abdication.

Obverse: DN DIOCLETIANO BAEATISS, laurel-wreathed bust right wearing mantle, holding olive branch and holding mappa in the other hand.

Reverse: PROVIDENTIA DEORVM, Providentia standing right, extending right hand to Quies, standing left, holding branch and sceptre.

Reference: Sear 12922, RIC VI Alexandria 80 corr.