MAXIMINUS II Daza as Caesar, AD 305-309. Æ Follis

MAXIMINUS II Daza as Caesar, AD 305-309. Æ Follis (24 mm, 6.29 g, 6 h). Antioch mint, 7th officina (Ⲍ), struck AD 310.Obv. MAXIMINVS NOB CAES – Helmeted, cuirassed bust left, aegis on breast; holds spear over shoulder and shield emblazoned with a battle scene of two cavalrymen charging left above four infantry in combat. Rev. SOLI INVICTAE – Sol standing facing in a quadriga, head turned left, raising right hand in salute and holding globe in left; Ⲍ in field below, ANT in exergue. Refs. RIC VI Antioch 145b var. (officina not listed); cf. SNC 1450. Rich chocolate-brown patina with lighter high points, sharply struck and of unusually fine style; minimal wear, slight surface smoothing in fields. VERY RARE, especially with the 7th officina mark.

In AD 310, while still nominally subordinate to Galerius, Maximinus II was consolidating his eastern base Egypt, Syria, and Asia Minor into a de-facto independent realm. This dramatic military bust, unique to the Antioch workshop, projects him as an invincible field commander ready to defend Rome’s eastern frontiers against Persia and rebellious cities alike. The reverse’s Sol Invictus in a racing quadriga alludes to divine favour and the emperor’s role as comes Solis, “companion of the sun-god,” a title Maximinus brandished to enhance his legitimacy after Galerius’s death the following year. The officina mark Ⲍ (7) is absent from the standard RIC citation, underscoring the rarity of this die pairing and the experimental nature of Antioch’s output during the turbulent last phase of the Tetrarchic system.