Antoninianus - Diocletianus ANNONA AVG, Annona

Diocletian's early antoniniani predate his sweeping monetary reforms of 294, when the introduction of the argenteus effectively retired the denomination. This piece belongs to the transitional phase when Diocletian was still working within the debased billon framework he inherited — silver content was negligible in practice despite what composition cataloging implies. The ANNONA type, invoking the grain supply, was a pointed choice for a regime anxious to project stability after the chaos of the third-century crisis.