I finally got around to photographing this coin I scored earlier this year, pictured below. It was labeled RIC VI, 61b, but now I'm not so sure of that . Roman Empire, Maximian Herculius, AD 286 - 310 (struck AD 305 ?) Aquileia Mint, 1st Officina. AE follis: 11.98 gm, 28 mm, 12 h. Striking weakness at 12 h. Obverse: Maximian facing left, wearing a helmet and cuirass, holding a spear and decorated shield, IMP MAXIMIANVS P F AVG. Reverse: Fides standing left, holding two standards, FIDES MILITVM AVGG ET CAESS NN A Q P. Recently I stumbled on the coin pictured below that was auctioned by Lion King Auctions on 3-15-2020, lot 198, 10.2 gm, 28 mm, for 260 Euros. This coin was also labeled RIC VI, 61b, but has obvious differences from my coin. The helmet, cuirass, and shield are different, and on this coin Maximian is holding a scepter, not a spear. Can anyone confirm the IDs on these coins? Thanks .
Yes, your coin is Aquileia 61b. The other coin you posted is Aquileia 77a. The difference, as Spaniard pointed out, is the obverse legend. RIC states spear (or sceptre) in the description. The differences in the helmet, cuirass and shield have no bearing on the RIC number, they merely reflect that these dies are engraved by hand and differ slightly. The bust description for this type is left,laureate, helmeted, cuirassed, spear (or sceptre) over right shoulder, shield on left arm.
Victor & Spaniard, Thanks for the helpful info ! The slight differences & numerous varieties in Diocletian era folles can be confusing for collectors & dealers alike .
True. And what can make it even more difficult is that in different volumes of RIC, different criteria are used to distinguish one entry number from another. Nice coin, BTW.
