RIC VI, ALEXANDRIA, DIOCLETIAN, UNLISTED ISSUE [DEAE SANCTAE ISIDI]

OBVERSE	DIOCLETIANVSAVGVSTVS [DIOCLETIANVS AVGVSTVS]; bust r., rad., cuir. (or consular robe).
REVERSE	DEAEOSAN-CT[AE]ISIDI [DEAE SANCTAE ISIDI]; Isis stg. l. in long robe, in r. hand holding sistrum, l. cornucopiae. Δ in left field. ALE in exergue.
NOT IN RIC	UNLISTED ISSUE. Civic issue similar to civic coinage minted under Maximinus II (cf. Heesch p. 66, type 1 with obv. legend DEAE SANC CERERI; see example of Heesch 1). Apparently, this coin was minted earlier. Not listed in Heesch. Not listed in Vagi. Not listed in Alföldi. Florian Haymann dates these coins (following Wolfram Weiser) to 297/298 (see: Florian Haymann, Eine neue alexandrinische Lokalbronze des Maximianus Galerius, "Numismatisches NachrichtenBlatt" 4/2022, p. 140). Maybe this date should be shifted to the time of the Great Persecution, i.e. year 303. According to Lactantius, it was started by Diocletian at the instigation of Galerius and all coins known so far are minted only for these two members of the Tetrarchy. Maximinus' emissions with images of the old gods (minted during the persecution in year 312) probably imitated this very issue. See also: ALEXANDRIA, DIOCLETIAN, UNLISTED ISSUE [IOVI CONSERVATORI] ALEXANDRIA, GALERIUS MAXIMIAN, UNLISTED ISSUE [DEAE SANCTAE ISIDI] ALEXANDRIA, GALERIUS MAXIMIAN, UNLISTED ISSUE [DEO SANCTO SERAPIDI] ALEXANDRIA, GALERIUS MAXIMIAN, UNLISTED ISSUE [DEO SANCT SERAPIDI]

NOTES

Fraction. From www.fsrcoin.com.