Maximianus Herculeus 286 - 310 AE Antoninianus (pre-reform), 4.37g, 23.2mm, Siscia 1. officina, 290 AD.

obv. IMP CMA VAL MAXIMIANVS PF AVG, radiate head right.
rev. CONSERVATOR AVGG, Emperor, holding sceptre, and 
Hercules, shouldering club and lion's skin, standing 
face to face, sacrificing at altar.
A in left field.
Mintmark dot XXI dot HP dot.

RIC V-II, Siscia 582 var. (reverse type, obv. legend and
bust type), unrecorded; Cohen:-.

R; good VF, rest of silvering, thick flan

RIC 582 has obv. legend only P AVG, and bust type cuirassed.

HP = First letters of HP-KOY-LI, = of Herculius, name 
of Maximianus (so-called coded coins)

In this series Hercules usually leans on his club, with no lionskin. 
This variant with the club over his shoulder seems quite rare. It 
was unknown to Cohen and there were none in the Venèra Hoard (ends 
too early), Berk photofile, Glasgow cat., Bastien sale catalogue.
However the lionskin is probably constant in this variant, and has 
simply not been mentioned in the few descriptions. Certainly the 
lionskin is regular in the type IOV ET HERCVL CONSER AVGG, which 
shows a similar Hercules with shouldered club.
Voetter, Gerin Cat., p. 280, 65, records a coin like this, with 
P F in obv. legend, Hercules shoulders club (no mention of lionskin), but officina letter B in right field, not A in the 
left field. Apparently omitted by RIC.
Voetter 66 is similar to this coin, except for P not P F in obv. legend; this is RIC 582 citing Voetter.

Alfoeldi planned section on Diocletian and Maximian would be the 
obvious place to look if it was ever published.
In any case a beautiful specimen of a rare coin, in a
 variety that might be unpublished. 

Contributed by Hans-Joachim, December, 2004.