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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Curtisimo, post: 3000449, member: 83845&quot;][ATTACH=full]742363[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3">Roman Empire</font></p><p><font size="3">Diocletian, AD 284-305</font></p><p><font size="3">AE Follis, Lugdunum Mint, 1st officina, struck ca. AD 295</font></p><p><font size="3">Dia.: 28 mm</font></p><p><font size="3">Wt.: 8.5 g</font></p><p><font size="3">Obv.: IMP C DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG; Laureate bust right</font></p><p><font size="3">Rev.: GENIO POP-VLI ROMANI: Genius standing left holding patera and cornucopia /LA in exergue</font></p><p><font size="3">Ref.: RIC VI 2a, Lugdunum Group I, Class II</font></p><p><i><font size="3">Ex Jamesicus Collection</font></i></p><p><br /></p><p>I was recently very honored to receive the above coin as a gift from [USER=14873]@jamesicus[/USER] and I have been doing the best I can to learn as much as possible about it.&nbsp; As many of you know I have a great interest in the emperor Diocletian and the tetrarchy system that he developed.&nbsp; I recently devoted some time into developing a write up on his reign and coinage that those interested can read <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/diocletian-two-interesting-coins-and-a-legacy-of-reform.307405/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/diocletian-two-interesting-coins-and-a-legacy-of-reform.307405/">here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin was struck under Constantius Chlorus who had not long before been elevated to the rank of Caesar by Maximian (Diocletian’s counterpart in the west).&nbsp; At the time the mint at Lugdunum was operating with only two officinae (A and B) as both C and D had been moved to Trier.&nbsp; It seems that Constantius Chlorus used the Lugdunum mint as a means to cover his changing monetary needs in different areas of his administration. Not only did he send two officinae to Trier but he also used the Lugdunese mint workers to prepare for his invasion of Britain and then transplanted some of them to kick start production of his London mint. I find it fascinating that that we can trace the movement of mint workers from Lugdunum to London based on the style and chronology of these early folles.&nbsp; Below is a chart that shows the mint marks from Lugdunum that immediately precede Constantius’s invasion of Britain.&nbsp; RIC notes that after this event there seems to be an infusion of fresh workers at Lugdunum for the following “LP” series and that only one officina was left in production there.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]742364[/ATTACH]</p><p><i>Mint marks of the early folles emissions of Lugdunum.</i></p><p><br /></p><p>The above table gives an overview of the first four mint marks used at Lugdunum for the post reform folles coins.&nbsp; As you can see the LA-B marked folles are the earliest issue that it is possible to obtain as the first post-reform issue is known from only 1 example.&nbsp; Judging from the evidence given in RIC it is appropriate to consider both the Lugdunum &quot;LP&quot; issue as well as the London &quot;LON&quot; issue as successors to these four.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]742365[/ATTACH]</p><p><i>Left – Plan of Ancient Lugdunum. Right – Theatre of Fourviere, Lyon (Lugdunum).</i></p><p><br /></p><p>Please feel free to comment with any additional insight on this issue or to post your Lugdunum, London or tetrarchy folles![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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