Aureus - Diocletianus IOVI CONSERVAT AVGG, Jupiter

Diocletian's early aurei mark the precise moment the empire committed to tetrarchic ideology before the tetrarchy was fully formed. The IOVI CONSERVATORI reverse type — placing Jupiter as divine protector of the emperors rather than of Rome itself — was a deliberate theological repositioning, tying imperial legitimacy directly to divine patronage in a way that would define official coinage for the next two decades. RIC V.2 141D is among the issues attributable to the period before the 294 monetary reform, which drastically reduced the aureus to a theoretical 1/60th of a pound, making pre-reform survivals the heavier and earlier of the two distinct weight standards.