The George W. La Borde Collection of Roman Aurei Part I
THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Diocletian, 284 – 305
Aureus 287, AV 5.51 g. DIOCLETI – ANVS P F AVG Laureate and cuirassed bust r. seen from front; with drapery on l. shoulder. Rev. IOVI – CONS – ERVATORI Jupiter seated l., holding thunderbolt and sceptre; at his feet, eagle holding wreath in its beak; in exergue, P R. C 266. RIC 142a var. (without cuirass). Depeyrot 5b/4. (this coin cited, but misdescribed separation of legends). Calicó 4509 var. (this bust variety unlisted).
Very rare. An unusual and interesting portrait bust, work of a highly skilled
master engraver. Virtually as struck and almost Fdc
Provenance
Ernst Moritz Herzfelder (1865-1923) Collection sold by Jacob Hirsch, auction XXIX, Munich, 9 November 1910 sqq., lot 1315.
Hall Park McCullough (1872-1966) Collection sold by Stack’s, auction, New York, 20-22 November 1967, lot 926, estimated USD 750.
Sold by Harlan J. Berk with Freeman & Sear, auction Gemini II, New York, 10 January 2006, lot 510.

The Emperors Diocletian and Maximian each chose a god as their patron. Diocletian, as senior emperor, selected the supreme deity Jupiter (Jove), and Maximian, as junior emperor, chose Hercules, the semi-divine son of Jupiter who performed epic feats. In doing so they created the Jovian and Herculian houses that allowed the political structure of the Diocletian’s government to be defined within the context of state religion. The emperors thus presented themselves as having received their mandate to rule from none other than the gods. In official propaganda they are described as being ”born of God and themselves creators of Gods.” With divine parentage, these rulers presented themselves as being incalculably more legitimate than a usurper who might claim the purple. They took seriously their adoption into the divine houses, each substituted his own birthday (dies natalis) with a new, divine birthday (geminis natalis). They celebrated their new birthday on July 21, representing the day in 287 when they adopted the names Jovius and Herculius. This particular reverse and that of the next lot are in keeping with Diocletian’s penchant for celebrating the religious significance of almost every aspect of his reign.