AR19 - Diocletian L Γ

By regnal year L Γ (year 3), Diocletian had already begun restructuring the Egyptian monetary system he inherited — a closed currency zone that had operated on debased potin tetradrachms for over a century. This billon piece is a product of that transitional moment, struck before his sweeping currency reforms of 294–296 rendered the entire Alexandrian tetradrachm series obsolete virtually overnight. The Alexandria mint was one of the most prolific in the empire, yet its output was legally non-exportable, circulating exclusively within Egypt's borders.