Diocletian, 284-305. Aureus (Gold, 20 mm, 4.60 g, 12 h), on the light standard, Rome, circa April/May 286. IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG Laureate, lightly bearded, draped and cuirassed bust of Diocletian to right, seen slightly from behind. Rev. IOVI CON-SERV-ATORI AVGG Jupiter standing to left, nude but for drapery over his shoulders, holding a thunderbolt in his right hand and long vertical scepter with his left. Calicó 4519. Depeyrot Rome -; Cyzicus 3/1. Lukanc 13 (Rome). RIC V, 2, 143 (undated, Rome) and 319 (undated, Antioch). An enigmatic variety! Attractive, toned and well-centered. Heavy bang on the obverse, otherwise, extremely fine. From The Dr. Ivo Lukanc Collection of the Gold Coinage of Diocletian, bought privately from Burgan in Paris in 1990, ex Vinchon 22 April 1977, 85. This coin poses three curious problems. The first concerns its light weight, which indicates that it was struck prior to the change to heavier weight at some point in 286, almost certainly after the coronation of Maximianus as co-Augustus on 1 April. The second problem relates to its reverse legend, which contains AVGG; that means it has to have been struck after 1 April 286. The final problem concerns its mint: the style of the obverse portrait clearly suggests that the die was made in Rome (compare it with the previous lot, which is both light weight, has AVGG and has been attributed to Rome by all modern commentators), though Depeyrot, contra everyone else, attributes it to the mint of Cyzicus. Unless we want to believe that our coin's dies were transferred from Rome to Cyzicus (why would they do that??), their close stylistic affinities to coins struck in Rome before and, especially, after the standard change makes it clear that this coin had to have been struck there. As for the unexpected reverse legend, for Rome, with CONSERVATORI rather than CONSERVAT, this may indicate a proposed change made by the mint that was not approved. https://cdn.nomosag.com/auctions/95/video00016.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