DIOCLETIAN

AD 284-305 Potin Tetradrachm. 7.01g, 20.5mm MINTED: EGYPT, Alexandria, RY 3 (AD 286/7) REF: Emmett 4082.3 OBVERSE: A K Γ OVA ΔIOKΛHTIANOC CEB, laureate and cuirassed bust right.

REVERSE: Tyche standing left, holding rudder and cornucopiae; LΓ (date) to right. Grade/Notes:

Very Fine. Dark reddish-brown patina with nice, smooth surfaces and legible legends.

Historical Notes:

Egypt supplied as much as half of Rome’s annual grain supply, and was as such a hugely important province. Its economic and cultural heart was Alexandria, the second largest city in the Empire with a population of more than half a million during the time of Augustus. The coins of Roman Egypt were heavily used in daily commerce, and most often found in extremely worn condition. They are nevertheless highly collectible and interesting, sometimes featuring unique Egyptian-themed reverses and deities.