Nomos 16

Maximianus Herculius, first reign, 286-305. Medallion (Bronze, 38 mm, 35.10 g, 12 h), Rome, 297-298. VIRTVS MAXIMIANI AVG Laureate bust of Maximianus to left, wearing cuirass with aegis and holding the reins of the forepart of a horse to his right with his right hand and with a shield ornamented with the Roman Wolf and Twins over his left shoulder. Rev. MONETA AVGG The three Monetae standing facing, their heads to left, each holding a cornucopia with her left hand and a scale over a pile of coins with her right. Bastien, Buste, pl. 140, 1 and pp. 550-551. Cohen 405. Dressel 184. Gnecchi 18, pl. 127, 6. Very rare and particularly impressive. Grey-brown-green patina. Somewhat smoothed in cleaning, otherwise, extremely fine.

Bastien connects this medallion, with its exceptional obverse portrait, with military victories in Mauritania that were won when Maximianus was personally in command of the army. It can be related to another medallion of Maximianus, with a similar portrait but with a variant reverse (Gnecchi, pl. 127, 10) that can, in turn, be related to a series of folles (RIC VI, 10-30, but especially 27-30) that commemorate the arrival of the emperor in Carthage.