Triton XVII, Lot: 784. Estimate $10000. Sold for $13000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Diocletian & Maximianus. AD 286-305. Æ Antoninianus (22mm, 4.40 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck AD 286-294. IMP P DIOCLETIANO ET MAXIMIANO AVGG, confronted busts of Diocletian right and Maximianus left, each radiate, draped, and cuirassed / VIRTVS AVGVSTORVM, Jupiter standing right, wearing long cloak, holding scepter in left hand and presenting a Victory in right hand to Hercules standing left, holding club and lion’s skin in left hand; XXIΓ. Unpublished in the standard references. VF, dark green-brown patina, smoothed.

This type appears to be unpublished, and the unusual use of vis-à-vis portraits on the obverse might seem to imply a medallion more so than a regular issue coin, but the use of XXIΓ on the reverse would seem to clearly mark it as an antoninianus intended for circulation. The reverse legend, VIRTVS AVGVSTORVM, is known for both Diocletian and Maximianus at the Rome mint, circa AD 290 (see RIC V 185 and 516). For a similar obverse type on a medallion, see Numismatik Lanz 100 (20 November 2000), lot 458, which has vis-à-vis busts of Diocletian and Constantius I.