Antoninianus - Diocletianus IOVI CONSERVATORI AVG; Tripolis

Tripolis was an uncommon mint for Diocletian's early coinage, activated partly to supply the eastern armies during his consolidation of power following the murder of Numerian in 284 AD — the very event that brought Diocletian to the throne. The mint's output in this period is noticeably sparse in surviving collections, and RIC V.2 330 is among the scarcer attributions from this facility.

The silvering on antoninianii from Tripolis is frequently degraded, as the billon composition was already well below the silver content that had defined the denomination a generation earlier. Aurelian's reforms had stabilized it briefly, but by Diocletian's accession the alloy was again inconsistent mint to mint.