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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Fugio1, post: 4244885, member: 89970&quot;]This coin arrived today in my mailbox and I would like to share it with you.&nbsp; It is a follis of Maximianus that was struck 307-308 during Maximianus’ second reign as Augustus, emerging from his politically pressured retirement.&nbsp; </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1083625[/ATTACH] </p><p>I am fond of the coinage of the tetrarchy, I think because of the historical drama of this time period beginning 285 and culminating 313, in which more than a dozen Roman Augustii and Caesars struck coins for themselves and their wives, including various usurpers in different parts of the empire.&nbsp;&nbsp; The coins are very affordable, even in high grade, a diverse collection can be assembled with a limited budget.&nbsp; This economy mixed with the complex historical context makes the area extremely&nbsp; stimulating.&nbsp; Further,&nbsp; RIC VI which covers this period is in my opinion, one of the most readable, informative, and easily navigable references of all of the RIC volumes.</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin struck me for two reasons beyond its relatively high grade.&nbsp; The reverse type QVIES AVG is not rare, but perhaps uncommon.&nbsp; This obverse demonstrates one of the most realistic portraits of Maximianus I have observed.&nbsp;&nbsp; The mint&nbsp; of Trier produced some of the most pleasing portraits, but this is among the finest.&nbsp; Not all of the coins from this mint are from skilled engravers, but many of the most realistic of this era come from this mint.&nbsp; This is one of them.</p><p><br /></p><p>The engraving style and execution demonstrated on the coinage of this period is not usually described as great art, but some dies are remarkable.&nbsp; The engravers art of this era is nevertheless distinctive and interestingly complex in its mix of styles and intricate detail.&nbsp; Each mint has very recognizable attributes.</p><p><br /></p><p>RIC 788</p><p>5.87g.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ex HD Rauch, Feb 29, 2020</p><p>Ex NUMISMATIK LANZ MÜNCHEN, AUCTION 100, LOT 464, Nov 20, 2000</p><p><br /></p><p>If you want to learn more about this area of numismatics, I highly recommend the educational site of [USER=44316]@Valentinian[/USER] (my mentor)&nbsp; <a href="http://augustuscoins.com/ed/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://augustuscoins.com/ed/" rel="nofollow">http://augustuscoins.com/ed/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>I’m re-learning about the time of the first and second tetrarchy so please post your images and comments.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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