Diocletian. Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Struck circa AD 296 Bronze Follis (27mm, 12.52 g)

Obv: IMP C DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG Laureate head of Diocletian right

Rev: GENIO POPVLI ROMANI Genius, nude but for chlamys over his left shoulder, standing facing, head left, holding patera in his right hand and cornucopiae in his left hand.

RIC VI 14a; Lyon An1. From the Dr. Malcolm Lyne Collection, purchased, 4 October 1996

It is debated whether this issue is the first of Lugdunum, as the authors of RIC and Vincent Drost believe, or represents a separate “invasion coinage” from a continental military mint under Constantius made to pay his soldiers in the lead up to his conquest of Britain. See C&T pp. 26-7 for more on this theory.