Diocletian, 284-305. Aureus (Gold, 19 mm, 4.32 g, 6 h), on the light standard, Rome, shortly after 1 April 286. IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS AVG Laureate, lightly bearded, draped and cuirassed bust of Diocletian to right. Rev. VITRVS AVGG (Sic!) Hercules, nude and bearded, standing to right, his right hand at his waist and his left leaning on his club, covered with his lion skin and resting on a rock (= the Farnese Hercules). Unpublished? Calicó -. Depeyrot - (but cf. 3/1 in the name of Maximianus and dated to 287). Lukanc -. RIC V, 2 - (but cf. the Rome aureus of Maximianus, 497 with a similar long obverse legend and the same reverse, as Depeyrot 3/1, though both without the misspelling). Of great rarity, possibly unique. Well-struck and attractive. Extremely fine. From The Dr. Ivo Lukanc Collection of the Gold Coinage of Diocletian, ex Spink Taisei, Zürich, 1 June 1994, 202. This is yet another light-weight aureus of Diocletian struck with AVGG in its reverse legend; thus, struck soon after 1 April 286, but before the change to the heavier weight standard. Since the reverse type of Hercules must refer to the new Augustus, Maximianus Herculeius, it also must have been struck to honor him. The very unexpected misspelling on the reverse die (by an engraver in the Rome mint!) surely means the dies were prepared in haste. https://cdn.nomosag.com/auctions/95/video00017.mp4?sv=2023-01-03&ss=b&srt=co&st=2025-03-10T16%3A25%3A27Z&se=2099-03-11T16%3A25%3A00Z&sp=rl&sig=i7RzFAqwYGMJUp3u71BbRyL3HhIAtR%2F8cUnRnTVQfyU%3D&rsct=video%2Fmp4