Probus, 276-282, Antoninianus

Probus, antoninianus, billon, AD 276–282, Tripolis mint, c. AD 277–282, 4.38 g, 23 mm. Obverse: IMP C M AVR PROBVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Reverse: CLEMENTIA TEMP, Clementia standing left, right hand raised, holding sceptre. Roman Imperial billon issue of the Tripolis workshop; legends complete. Reference: RIC V (Probus) 928.

Struck during the reign of Probus, this antoninianus belongs to the period of renewed imperial consolidation after the crises of the mid-3rd century. Probus is documented for extensive military operations on multiple frontiers and for efforts to restore internal stability, while maintaining the antoninianus as the principal fiduciary silvered denomination of imperial payment. The Tripolis mint, active in North Africa, forms part of the late-3rd-century expansion and reactivation of provincial minting intended to supply regional military and administrative needs.