All Hail the Herculean One!

I'm guilty of thinking that some coins of the Tetrarchy can be a bit dull (looking at you, Genius standing), but the truth is that I do have something of a soft spot for those large folles with their chubby, big-headed portraits. They tend to be almost embarrassingly well-made, hefty in hand, and plentiful enough so as not to tax the wallet when you want one. And, when I see one that is NOT Genius standing, I always think it deserves a second or third look.

This Alexandria mint issue has a great pugnacious portrait of the only man who was emperor THREE times and a well-executed reverse of Hercules, the god whose name and attributes he adopted. RIC rates the issue common, but it was struck for a barely a year, and is in fact relatively scarce.

Feel free to share your coins of the Herculean one!


MAXIMIANUS HERCULIUS
AD 285-305 (first reign), AD 306-308 (second), AD 310 (third)
AE Follis
10.5g, 26.7mm
Alexandria mint, 1st officina, AD 304-305
RIC VI 38
O: IMP C M A MAXIMIANVS PF AVG, laureate head right.
R: HERCVLI VICTORI, Hercules standing slightly right, head left, holding club and apples, with lion skin draped over arm; S in left field, P over A in right field, ALE in exergue.
Notes: RIC dates this new type issued for Maximianus and Constantius I at Alexandria circa AD 304-305, suggesting it may have replaced the familiar Genius standing type in the year running up to the impending retirement of Diocletian and Maximianus.

 

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Very nice! As for the Genius standing types, yeah... but their size and often good condition makes them nice.

I want a large tetrarchal bronze with Sol holding the head of Serapis. Maybe it's time to cruise Vcoins .

 

The coin below was third ancient coin purchase. I didn't know anything about it, the ruler, or even if I was overpaying. I did in fact pay high retail for it but no regrets. The seller flies from Florida twice a year to sell coins, currency, and other supplies on the Air Force bases in England. He's been doing it for like 17 years and I appreciate him coming all this way so I don't mind paying a little extra. Sadly it's a boring Genius, but at 30mm with some silvering remaining, I'm a happy owner!

Maximian, AD 286-305
AE, Follis, 8.8g, 31mm; 6h; Heraclea
Obv.: IMP CMA MAXIMIANVS PF AVG; laureate head right
Rev.: GENIO POPV-L-I ROMANI; Genius standing left, modius on head, naked except for chlamys over shoulder (falls low), holding paera from which liquid flows and cornucopiae
In Ex.: HTΓ

 

I think it has plenty of eye-appeal and just screams 'feels good in hand'!

 

Thanks!

 

I love that type, but if I'm not wrong they're later issues (by Maximinus II) and only come in half-pint size... around 20-21mm.

 

You're probably right. I only paid attention to the reverse scene and will take it in whatever size is available.

 

There was a discussion about the holding head types not to long ago that I thought was pretty interesting. The message this coin is trying to convey is not certain to me. Is this the Genius of the Emperors' communicating with the divine?

Since we're talking about holding heads and all...


Maximinus II, Rome, Tetrarchy, AD 309-313
AE, follis, 4.96g, 21mm;12h; Antioch
Obv.: IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS PF AVG; laureate head right
Rev.: GENO AVGVSTI; Genius standing left, holding head of Sol and cornucopiae; star left, A right
In Ex.: ANT
Ref.: Antioch RIC VI 164b, A

 

I've always wanted to take a good image of this coin, but the patina is so thick and glossy, I've never managed it...



There are some wonderful ants of the Herculian one as well, many of them quite common, like this one...



And others not particularly rare, but with wonderful reverses, like Salus. (No longer my coin)...

 

There's a looker!

 

Nice, I just have this of him.


Maximian, (286 - 305, 306 - 308, and 310 A.D)
Ӕ Antoninianus
O: IMP C MA MAXIMIANVS PF AVG , radiate , draped bust right .
R: CONCORDIA MILITVM , Jupiter presents Victory on globe to Maximianus .
Officina Δ between .
XXI in ex .
Heraclea Mint
31mm
3.6g
RIC V, 595, Cohen 54.

 

I agree with that sentiment quite a bit and with that in mind, I have my second ancient coin purchase, ole' Max's pal


Dioclectian, AD 284-305
AE, Follis, 9.8g, 28mm; 1h; Aquelia mint
Obv.: IMP DIOCLETIANVS PF AVG; laureate head right
Rev.: SACR MONET AVGG CAESS NOSTR; crescent in left field; VI in right field; Moneata holding scales and cornucopiae
In Ex.: AQP

 

Wonderful posts!!

@zumbly, I totally agree with you...

My sole silvered reduced follis has the usual 'genio' reverse:


But with the 'NOBC Caesar' title.

 

Good looking silvering!

 

Nice Maximianuses (and Maximinus IIs and Diocletians), folks. How about... MOAR? This one's not a follis, but a pre-reform antoninianus, though again with Hercules on the reverse.


MAXIMIANUS HERCULIUS
AD 285-305 (first reign), AD 306-308 (second), AD 310 (third)
Billon Antoninianus
3.81g, 23.5mm
Lugdunum mint, AD 287-289
RIC 458; Cohen 647; Bastien 218
O: IMP C MAXIMIANVS P AVG, helmeted and cuirassed bust right, wearing radiate crown.
R: VIRTVTI AVGG, Hercules standing right, strangling Nemean Lion, his club on ground behind.

 

I, too, suffer from the tendency to avoid Genius coins even though there are some good looking ones. My favorite Maximianus coins are pre-reform so not the large follis size.

First is the rare issue by Carausius from the London mint in his attempt to be 'one of the boys' with Diocletian and Maximianus. The big deal on the coin is the legend ending AVGGG indicating three Augusti. The other two did not recognize Carausius so only GGG coins are from the British mints controlled by Carausius. Someday I will upgrade this coin to one that has the crucial GGG on flan but it is what it is.


The other special pre-reform coin are part of the code series where the three officina of the Siscia mint split up the Greek word for Hercules HP-KOY-lambdaI to match their Greek numeral officina (here gamma=3). The numeral can be found before or after XXI or in the field so a set is at least 9 coins. The scene shows Maximianus and Hercules (the bodybuilder on the right) sacrificing over a tripod. My page on coded coins shows the others if anyone is interested.


My most recent addition to this series is this similar coin with the gamma before the XXI and an error where the cutter crossed the lambda making the code AI. I had not seen this one before.

 

Very nice looking coin Z.

 

We have a lot of coins of Max between us. Out of curiosity, I went to vCoins and saw over 800 coins offered. Most were his but there were a few spelling and ID errors so the total was very close to 800. Some were ridiculously overpriced; some were fair. Of the total, there was one of the Carausius types which was full legend but poor surfaced and two of the coded series. I bought the better and cheaper of the codes upgrading my coin of that letter. Looking at the rest proved educational to me showing some coins I thought might have been a bit scarce were common and seeing a few things missing that I expected might be there. After doing that, I searched for the Diocletians finding nothing in either category I mentioned but almost as many coins of various types. I found this a fun way to waste an hour.

 

In 285 Diocletian appointed Maximian (Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus), a close friend and a renowned General like himself, as his Caesar elevating him to co-Augustus the following year. Diocletian subsequently divided the Empire geographically with himself as Augustus of the East and Maximian as Augustus of the West, thereby instituting a Dyarchy. Diocletian emphasized his status as Senior Augustus by adopting Jovius as his Protector-God and assigning Herculius to Maximian. Diocletian established his headquarters at Nicomedia and Maximian established his at Milan.

The accompanying image is an enlarged photograph of the obverse of a reformed aes follis (RIC VI, Londinium, Maximian Herculius, No. 6b).

​

James

 

Posting error -- I lost track and made a double post -- sorry.

"There are three sure signs of growing old. The first is loss of memory .......... I have forgotten the other two".

- Anon