RIC VI, NICOMEDIA [after 3], MAXIMIAN HERCULIUS, REVERSE VARIETY

OBVERSE	MAXIMIAN-VSPFAVG [MAXIMIANVS P F AVG]; head r., laur.
REVERSE	HERCVLI-VICTORI [HERCVLI VICTORI]; Hercules stg. r., l. resting club on rock; lion's skin on l. arm. SMNVI in exergue.
NOT IN RIC	REVERSE VARIETY. RIC does not list m.m. SMNVI. However, Sutherland in footnote 4 on p. 553 mentions this variety: "See Pink ["Die Goldprägung des Diocletianus und seiner Mitregenten", Numismatische Zeitschrift 1931], p. 44, for the same coin (in B.N. [British Museum]) with mint-mark SMNVI, interpreted by him as for Victori". But note that the example from the British Museum (reg. no. 1864,1128.176, 6.71 g) cited in RIC has the same rev. as NICOMEDIA 3 and m.m. is the only diffrence. The specimen in question has also slightly different iconography on rev., i.e. Hercules is bending forward with l. resting club on rock instead of holding apples. Not listed in Depeyrot (but cf. p. 119, no. 1/1 - specimen with m.m. SMNVI from BM). Coin should be listed in RIC after NICOMEDIA 3. See also: NICOMEDIA [after 3], MAXIMIAN HERCULIUS, REVERSE VARIETY NICOMEDIA [after 3], MAXIMIAN HERCULIUS, REVERSE VARIETY

NOTES

Heavy aureus. Weight 6.73 g. Coin sold on Freeman & Sear Mail Bid Sale 11 (lot 419) in November 2004 for USD 5,100.