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Message:: [QUOTE="Valentinian, post: 3046116, member: 44316"]The post-reform radiate denomination had no intentional silver. If someone has a "silvered" example, it must have been silvered in modern times. Almost all post-reform radiates are, like Doug's, CONCORDIA MILITVM. However, there are common pre-reform radiates (antoniniana, aureliani) with silvering, including many that also say CONCORDIA MILITVM. Two pre-reform ants and three post-reform radiates of Diocletian:[ATTACH=full]760901[/ATTACH] 21 mm. 4.02 grams.CONCORDIA MILITVM  emperor standing right, holding short sceptre in left, receiving victory on globe from   Hercules left, holding vertical long scepter in left with bow (hanging from his shoulder?)  EΔ low in middle field (for 9, avoiding Theta, the usual Greek symbol for 9, which was considered a symbol of bad luck because it was used to abbreviate, on legionary roles, thanatos, for deceased)  •XXI     [This "XXI" makes it certain this is pre-reform.]  IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS AVG  RIC V.II Diocletian 322 Antioch, p. 256 [ATTACH=full]760902[/ATTACH] 22 mm. 4.99 grams.CONCORDIA MILITVM  emperor standing right, holding short sceptre in left, receiving victory on globe from    Jupiter left, holding vertical long scepter in left.  B low in middle field, XXI• in exergue  IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS AVG  RIC V.II Diocletian 306v, page 253, Cyzicus [RIC does not list it with the dot] Note that both of the above have silvering. Now for three "post-reform radiates", none of which have silvering:[ATTACH=full]761007[/ATTACH] First post-reform issue.21 mm. 3.21 grams.IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS PF AVGCONCORDIA MILITVMALE in exergue, Γ in fieldRIC VI Alexandria 46a "c. 296-7" [ATTACH=full]761010[/ATTACH] 21 mm. 2.78 grams.HB in field.RIC VI Heraclea 13, "c. 295-6". [ATTACH=full]761011[/ATTACH] VOT/XX/FK  in wreath (FK for "Felix Karthage)RIC VI Carthage 37a "c. 303" Pre-reform and post-reform radiates are often not properly distinguished. In antiquity the key difference was that the pre-reform pieces had some silver in the alloy. Silver was worth about 100 times as much as copper by weight, so the 3-4% silver in the interior, plus the 1% or so on the surface, made the coins worth, intrinsically, about four or five times as much as the no-silver post-reform pieces. If it has "XXI" it is pre-reform, but not all pre-reform radiates have "XXI". Most post-reform radiates have the CONCORDIA MILITVM reverse, but, as seen above, so do some pre-reform coins. The post-reform coins have larger portrait heads. It seems there was a style change. Look at the two pre-reform coins above and compare their portraits to the later pieces. See the size difference? So, if it lacks XXI, lacks silvering, has CONCORDIA MILITVM and has a broad portrait head, it is post-reform.[/QUOTE]

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