Antoninianus - Diocletian struck under Carausius, 'C' Mint, Virtus

Carausius — the Menapian naval commander who seized Britain and northwestern Gaul in 286 and declared himself Augustus — used coins like this one as explicit propaganda tools, minting Diocletian's name and image without Diocletian's consent in a calculated bid for legitimacy. By presenting himself as a colleague of the ruling tetrarchs rather than a usurper, he spent years forcing a de facto recognition that Rome was reluctant to grant. Maximian's seaborne invasion to retake Britain in 289 failed badly, and Carausius briefly achieved something like official tolerance.

The 'C' mint attribution is contested among scholars — Camulodunum (Colchester) and Clausentum (Bitterne) have both been proposed. Carausius was assassinated by his finance minister Allectus in 293, abruptly ending this mint's output.