How to Identify the Galerius Follis

What Is the Galerius Follis?

Galerius served as junior Caesar under Diocletian from 293 and became Augustus of the eastern Tetrarchy from 305 until his death in 311. He is remembered for issuing the Edict of Toleration ending official persecution of Christians shortly before his death. His full official name, Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximianus, causes frequent confusion with the senior emperor Maximian, since both share the name "Maximianus" on their coins.

Obverse Design and Inscriptions

As Caesar, the legend reads MAXIMIANVS NOB CAES or GALERIVS VAL MAXIMIANVS NOB CAES, with a laureate head right. After 305 as Augustus, it reads GAL VAL MAXIMIANVS AVG or a close variant.

Reverse Design and Inscriptions

The shared Tetrarchic GENIO POPVLI ROMANI type appears, along with Genio Augusti variants used by Caesars specifically.

Size, Weight, and Metal

Standard Tetrarchic follis dimensions and the same declining weight standard apply as with the other Tetrarchs.

Mint Marks and Where to Find Them

Eastern mints predominate given his responsibility for the Balkans and later the eastern provinces; look for marks from Siscia, Serdica, Thessalonica, Heraclea, Nicomedia, Antioch, and Alexandria.

Telling It Apart from Similar Coins

Because Galerius's official name is also "Maximianus," carefully reading the full legend for GALERIVS or GAL is essential to avoid confusing his coins with those of the senior emperor Maximian, whose legend instead reads simply MAXIMIANVS without the GAL element. His Caesar-period legend with NOB CAES also separates earlier issues from his later Augustus-period coinage.

Judging Condition at a Glance

Judge condition using the same criteria as other Tetrarchic folles, checking portrait detail and surviving silvering.

Authenticity Red Flags

The same general cautions apply as with the other Tetrarchic folles regarding re-silvering and mint-mark tooling. Given the name overlap with Maximian, misattribution rather than outright forgery is actually the more common identification pitfall, so double-check the full legend before assuming which emperor a coin belongs to.