Diocletian, AE Radiatus, billon, reign 284-305, years minted 284-305

Diocletian, AE Radiatus, billon, reign 284-305, years minted 284-305, weight 3.50 g, diameter 22 mm. Obverse: radiate, draped bust of Diocletian right; legend IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG. Reverse: Diocletian in military dress standing right, receiving Victory on globe from Jupiter standing left and leaning on sceptre; legend CONCORDIA MILITVM, mintmark B in exergue, ANT in field. Strike: hammered on slightly irregular flan, typical late-third-century imperial technique. Toning: dark brown patina with residual silvering on the highest points. References: RIC VI Antioch 60a; comparable to Cohen 27; not in error-flawed series. The AE Radiatus was issued during the early phase of Diocletian’s reign before his major monetary reform of 294. Struck at Antioch, the coin reflects the emperor’s reliance on military support, as indicated by the CONCORDIA MILITVM reverse calling for unity between ruler and army. The depiction of Jupiter delivering Victory endorses the ideological partnership between the supreme Roman deity and the Augusti, a key message in Diocletian’s program that laid groundwork for the Tetrarchic system. The billon alloy and residual silvering illustrate the gradual debasement of precious-metal content in third-century coinage, a fiscal challenge Diocletian sought to correct with later reforms.