AR20 - Diocletian L Ι

Year 10 of Diocletian's reign (294–295 CE) falls immediately after the currency reform of 293–294, when the emperor attempted to stabilize a debased coinage by introducing the argenteus and restructuring bronze and billon denominations. Alexandrian mint output during this transitional window is notoriously inconsistent in alloy composition — surviving examples often show significant variation in silver content even within the same regnal year, reflecting the lag between central reform mandates and local mint compliance.

The L Ι (year 10) dating places this piece in the last issues before Alexandria's production patterns were more firmly integrated into the reformed imperial system under the Tetrarchy.