Maximinus Daia Copper-Alloy Nummus

Monetary Context and Denominational Status

The copper-alloy coinages struck in the name of Maximinus Daia represent a crucial phase in the evolution of the Tetrarchic nummus, commonly designated by modern collectors and numismatists as the follis or cataloged by module size as AE2. When Diocletian instituted his currency reform in 294 AD, the primary base-metal denomination was a silver-washed copper piece struck at approximately 1/32 of a Roman pound, with an initial weight of around 10 grams containing roughly three to four percent silver. Severe inflationary pressures and fiscal demands during the early fourth century AD compelled successive adjustments. Between 305 and 313 AD, the eastern administrations under Galerius and Maximinus executed steep weight reductions. The denomination decreased first to a 1/48 pound standard (approximately 6.5 to 6.8 grams) around 307 AD, and subsequently to a 1/72 pound standard (around 4.5 grams) between 311 and 313 AD, with surface silver enrichment dropping to minimal levels. As an AE2 denomination, these coins occupied an intermediate position in daily transactions, operating beneath the gold solidus and scarce billon fractions, functioning as the primary transactional medium across civil and military spheres in the eastern Mediterranean.

Mints and Administrative Organization

Production of Maximinus Daia's AE2 coinage was concentrated in the eastern administrative dioceses directly under his command or aligned with his senior Augustus, Galerius. The principal issuing workshops were situated at Antioch and Alexandria, supplemented by mints in Asia Minor and the southern Balkans, notably Nicomedia, Cyzicus, Heraclea, Serdica, and Thessalonica. Mints operated with multiple internal workshops known as officinae, which were routinely identified in the reverse field or exergue using Greek numerical characters (such as Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta) or Latin letters. Mint signatures typically occupied the exergual register, employing formulas such as ANT for Antioch, ALE for Alexandria, SMN for Nicomedia, SMK for Cyzicus, and SMTS for Thessalonica. Field marks, including stars, crescents, altars, wreaths, and Greek control letters, were employed systematically to differentiate emission phases and ensure strict accounting of bullion supplies across the provincial workshops.

Obverse Portraiture and Royal Imagery

The obverse iconography of Maximinus Daia adheres to the blocky, cubic style characteristic of Tetrarchic art. Portraits depict the ruler facing right, wearing a laurel wreath, with a heavy, squared jawline, short planar neck, and closely cropped hair and beard rendered through uniform, geometric incisions. The facial features convey stern imperial authority, discipline, and concordia rather than individualized naturalism, visually aligning Maximinus with Diocletian, Galerius, and Severus. Draped and cuirassed busts are common, though bare-necked cuirassed busts also appear frequently depending on the mint. Following his elevated status from Caesar to Augustus around 310 AD, the portraiture retains its severe Tetrarchic geometry, remaining visually consistent across eastern mints even as module sizes contracted.

Reverse Iconography and Religious Messaging

Reverse types struck for Maximinus Daia reflect both conventional Tetrarchic state propaganda and the ruler's personal religious commitments during the period of the Great Persecution. The dominant motif during his early years as Caesar was the GENIO POPVLI ROMANI type, depicting the Genius of the Roman people standing left, holding a patera over an altar and a cornucopia. As the political landscape shifted, regional themes became prominent. The SOLI INVICTO and SOLI INVICTO COMITI types, portraying the sun god holding a globe or whip, saw widespread distribution at eastern mints such as Antioch and Nicomedia, underscoring solar patronage. Additionally, IOVI CONSERVATORI, presenting Jupiter holding a thunderbolt or Victory, asserted divine protection under the Jovian dynasty. Other recurrent types include Mars Conservator or Propugnator, Virtus Exercitus, and local commemoratives such as the Tyche of Antioch, each emphasizing civic loyalty, military victory, and traditional pagan cults.

Epigraphy and Titulature

The inscriptions on Maximinus Daia's copper-alloy coinages strictly reflect his evolving imperial rank. As Caesar between 305 and 310 AD, his obverse legends typically read GAL VAL MAXIMINVS NOB CAES, GAL VAL MAXIMINVS NOBIL C, or MAXIMINVS NOB CAES, recognizing his adoption into the Galerii family and his junior standing. Following his self-proclamation and subsequent recognition as Augustus around 310 AD, the legends adopted the supreme imperial titulature: IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG or IMP MAXIMINVS P F AVG (Imperator Caesar Galerius Valerius Maximinus Pius Felix Augustus). Reverse legends are primarily inscribed in Latin, employing standard civic and religious formulas such as GENIO CAESARIS, GENIO AVGVSTI, IOVI CONSERVATORI AVGG, and SOLI INVICTO, often complemented by Greek officina numerals in the field or exergue alongside formal Latin city marks.

Typological Evolution and Metrological Reductions

The chronological progression of Maximinus's AE2 coinage unfolds across three primary phases. The first phase, spanning from his accession on May 1, 305 AD to roughly 307 AD, maintained the post-reform nummus module at an intermediate weight standard of approximately 9.0 to 10.0 grams before undergoing rapid trimming. The second phase, from approximately 307 to 310 AD, witnessed the formal reduction to the 1/48 Roman pound standard (averaging 6.5 to 7.0 grams with diameters narrowing from roughly 27 millimeters to 24 millimeters), dominated by Genio Caesarise and Genio Populi Romani reverses. The third phase, extending from his recognition as Augustus in 310 AD until his defeat by Licinius and subsequent suicide in mid-313 AD, saw the introduction of the 1/72 Roman pound standard (4.5 to 5.5 grams, diameters around 20 to 22 millimeters). In this final phase, solar and Jovian reverse types superseded earlier designs, mirroring intense ideological rivalry against Constantine and Licinius.

Circulation, Hoards, and Economic Function

Archaeological excavation finds and numismatic hoards demonstrate that Maximinus's AE2 folles circulated intensively across the eastern Mediterranean basin, including Syria, Roman Egypt, Asia Minor, and Thrace. Hoard evidence from sites in the Levant and Anatolia indicates that reduced folles remained in local and regional circulation alongside contemporary emissions of Galerius, Constantine, Maxentius, and Licinius. Despite formal regional borders between Tetrarchic co-rulers, base-metal coins crossed administrative lines, though eastern mint issues predominated heavily in their home provinces. The silver wash originally applied to these copper-alloy blanks was thin and wore away rapidly during commercial handling, leaving predominantly bronze-colored surfaces. Following the fall of Maximinus in 313 AD, his AE2 issues were not systematically demonetized; instead, they continued to circulate until supplanted by the even smaller, lower-weight copper bronzes introduced by Constantine and Licinius during the late 310s and 320s AD.

References

1. Coin and Money in the Roman Empire. pp. 148-175
2. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume VI: From Diocletian's Reform (A.D. 294) to the Death of Maximinus (A.D. 313). pp. 520-690
3. Roman Coins and Their Values, Volume IV: The Tetrarchies and the Rise of the House of Constantine (AD 284-337). pp. 415-442