IMP C DIOCLETIANVS PF AVG, laureate head right / GENIO POPVLI ROMANI, Genius standing left, naked but for chlamis over left shoulder and modius on head, with patera from which liquor flows, and cornucopiae; K-V across fields, officina letter A to right. Mintmark ANT. 27mm, 8.76 grams. Antioch mint, minted 300-301 CE. RIC 54A.

Emperor Diocletian (c. 244–311 CE) was a Roman emperor who ruled from 284 to 305 CE and is best known for radically transforming and stabilizing the Roman Empire during a period of deep crisis. Rising from humble origins and a military background, he ended the chaotic Crisis of the Third Century and established the Tetrarchy, a system of rule by four emperors to ensure more effective governance across the vast empire. Diocletian implemented wide-reaching administrative, military, and economic reforms, including efforts to curb inflation through the Edict on Maximum Prices. He also launched the empire’s last and most severe persecution of Christians. In a rare act for a Roman emperor, Diocletian voluntarily abdicated in 305 CE and retired to his palace in modern-day Split, Croatia. His reign marked a turning point in Roman imperial structure, laying the groundwork for the later Byzantine Empire.