Beginning c. 294 the new follis (nummus) denomination was issued with the very common GENIO POPVLI ROMANI reverse design. I have a web page on them: http://augustuscoins.com/ed/tetrarchy/Diocletianfolles.html Today I added one from the mint of Thessalonica: Diocletian, 28-27 mm. 9.17 grams Thessalonica IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS PF AVG (a longer legend than most, GENIO POPVLI ROMANI. •TSA• in exergue RIC Thessalonica 21a "c. 300-1" Sear IV 12784 Diocletian founded the "First Tetrarchy" and I have sites on his coins: http://augustuscoins.com/ed/tetrarchy/DiocletianCoins.html and on coins of the First Tetrarchy: http://augustuscoins.com/ed/tetrarchy/ Actually, that last site is the broadest outline for those who don't already know a lot about Roman coins of the period. You might prefer to begin there. Show us some coins of Diocletian or coins from the Thessalonica mint!
DIOCLETIAN AE27 Silvered Follis OBVERSE: IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG, laureate head right REVERSE: GENIO POPV-L-IROMANI, Genius standing left, holding patera & cornucopia, HTA in ex. Struck at Heraclea, 296-297 AD 9.3g, 27mm RIC VI 19a
Nice coin! Here's my brother coin of Maximian from the same issue. Maximianus - GENIO POPVLI ROMANI - Thessalonica - RIC VI 21b
Another GENIO of Diocletian: Bronze Nummus Treir mint, A.D. 301-305 Obv: IMP DIOCLETIANVS AVG Rev: GENIO POPV-LI ROMANI - Genius, modius on head, naked but for chlamys hanging from shoulder, holding patera and cornucopiae PTR in exergue; S in left field, F in right RIC 582a 26mm, 7.7g. And a coin from the Thessalonica mint: Vetranio Augustus, A.D. 350 (Bronze) AE3 Thessalonica mint, A.D. 350 Obv: D N VETRAN-IO P F AVG Rev: VIRTVS EXERCITVM - Emperor, standing, facing left, holding labarum (standard with Chi-Rho) and resting hand on shield TESA in exergue RIC 138 18x20mm, 1.4g
There is also an interesting series of coins unique to Thessalonica from 319. Here are two from the series. Both examples are Constantine I (A.D. 307-337): Thessalonica mint, A.D. 319 RIC 59 Obv: CONSTAN-TINVS AVG Rev: VICTORIA AVGG NN - Victory advancing left with wreath and palm branch •TS•Γ• in exergue 19 mm, 2.5 g. Thessalonica mint, A.D. 319 RIC 66 Obv: CONSTAN-TIVS AVG Rev: VIRT EXERC - Camp plan (?), with Sol standing in the middle •TSΓ• in exergue 19 mm, 2.9 g.
I've got some excellent folles of Diocletian but none from the Thessalonica Mint . High grade examples from this mint are not easy to find . I posted all the coins pictured below more than once but will enjoy posting them again for this thread . I bought this coin from a Harlan Berk bid/buy sale over 30 years ago & later saw it pictured in David Sear's book Roman Coins and Their Values, Volume IV, 2011. I sent an email to David asking where he got the coin, but he couldn't remember . Maybe it came from an old Freeman & Sear sale ? Diocletian, AD 284-305 (struck AD 303-305), London Mint. AE Nummus: 10.17 gm, 28 mm, 6 h. RIC 28a; C&T 3.01.005. Rare. Ex Roma 72, lot 1403; Ex Brian Henry Grover Collection I was impressed with the portrait on this coin & not bothered by the spot of corrosion on the reverse .
I'm glad you were able to acquire this coin for your collection, @Valentinian. I have only one GENIO of Diocletian. Diocletian, AD 284-305. Roman billon follis, 8.99 g, 28.3 mm, 6 h. Trier, AD 302-303. Obv: IMP DIOCLETIANVS AVG, Laureate and cuirassed bust, right. Rev: GENIO POPV-LI ROMANI, Genius, turreted, nude but for chlamys draped over left shoulder, standing left, holding patera in right hand and cornucopiae in left hand; S/F//IITR. Refs: RIC vi, p. 196, 524a; RCV --.
While we have been shown a nice variety of folles of the Tetrarchy, we might point out to those new to the series that care needs to be taken to select coins which have prices that match their conditions in several respects. These large coins were not as easy to strike as the old-style antoniniani and many show some weakness in some part of the design - often part of the body of Genius. While all are collectible and beautiful, don't pay a full price for a coin that is missing full detail on the head, body or legs of the standing figure. You may not agree but I prefer a coin with a little wear to one poorly struck and missing, for example, the head of Genius even if that coin is slabbed as mint state. Another consideration which carries some differences of opinion is silvering. All of these coins were issued with a thin silver wash on the surface and many, today, still carry some or (rarely!) all of that silver. When a coin has lost part of its silver, I believe it makes a great difference which part remains. A blotchy mess of random silver just does not have the eye appeal of a smooth and even surface with no silver at all. It is your money; spend it on coins that you find appealing for whatever reason makes sense to you. My samples each made it into my collection but most have a 'situation' or two that required a 'discount' to be considered. Do we collect these by mint, by grade (wear), by style, by absence of faults or by price? Beginners need to decide or at least be aware that there are several things to be considered when shopping. Diocletian, London, mostly decent but has some wear Diocletian, Trier, poorly struck on Genius but I favor left facing coins and the part silver is not terribly distracting to my eye. Diocletian, Heraclea, retaining a lot of silver but has lost enough to have a 'salt and pepper' look - acceptable? Maximianus, Antioch, weak on thighs and overall coarse texture - evenly faulted - Is that better than having some stronger parts and some weaker? Constantius I, Lugdunum, with excellent laurel wreath detail and top half of Genius detail but it has a very weak bottom part of both sides due to uneven strike. Do you know this series well enough to miss the LA in exergue? Would you rather have a similar but opposite coin with strong exergue but no head on Genius AND the obverse strike reversed as well? I bought this coin from Victor Failmezger for $10. We both thought that was fair. Constantius I, Alexandria, is missing all the silver making it prettier than a blotchy coin but has a disturbing double strike on the obverse. The little wear on high points emphasizes the pebble-beard but keeps the coin from being highest grade. Galerius, Alexandria, shows the opposite situation. A lot of silver remains but there is poor detail on high points and an overall grainy texture to the metal. Which is the better coin - this below or the one above? I know you want everything and some of you can afford to wait and pay that bill. For others, choices are to be made. Galerius, Aquileia, shows a terribly weak strike on Genius' head (who cares about the weakness at obverse bottom?) but an exceptional strike on the rest of Genius from chest down. This coin has part silver but most on the face is still pleasing. There is a lot of trade-off here but I bought the coin because it is ex. John Quincy Adams collection. Some would, some would not. I maintain there is no right answer but there definitely is a wrong one. Don't buy/bid on coins without considering all the factors. Pay for what you are getting, not what some seller claims is important to him. A gem, perfect coin of any of these types could bring the total of what I paid for all of these. The gem will be easier to resell for some price (up or down?). It is your choice.
I recommend you read Doug's entire post above and pay attention to the points he is making. If a modern coin is made to be nearly perfect by a machine at the mint, perhaps wear is the major (sole?) remaining factor in desirability. But, ancient coins do not all come from the mint in identical shape and many different factors bear on the desirability and price. That post is well-illustrated with excellent examples. It has points-to-ponder. If you seek wisdom, grasshopper, you would do well to ponder them.
Doug Smith offered some good advice in his posted comments, & I'd like to add a few of my own . Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world prices at auction have surged, including high grade nummi. In many cases collectors are drastically overpaying for these coins . When bidding at auction for slabbed coins, bid on the coin & not the slab . Often there is no consistency on the grading. The nummus pictured below sold at a Heritage auction last April for $504.00, including the buyers premium ! It's an excellent coin but no bargain at that price. High grade coins from the Cyzicus Mint are plentiful. The coin pictured below I bought many years ago for a fraction of that price raw & later had it slabbed. Another factor collectors should be aware of is die wear. My nummus was struck with a fresh obverse die & a reverse die with considerable wear. Finding a mint state coin struck from two fresh dies is a real challenge, & those coins are rare.
