Follis¹, mint of Antioch, 312 A. D., Ric VI 167b (pag. 644), rarity index "C"

Summary description:
D. IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG². Maximinus II, laureate head right.
R. SOLI IN-VICTO³. mint mark⁵. Sol in long robe standing left holding bust of Serapis in left and raising right.

The search on the web for coins of the type of figure gave rise to the following results:

1. http://numismatics.org/collection/1948.19.257 Reference: RIC VI Antioch 167b. Physical Description Axis: 12. Measurements Weight: 5.18g Diameter: 22mm Typological Description Date: AD 312 Object Type: Coin Manufacture: Struck Denomination: AE2 Material: Bronze Authority Authority: Maximinus Daia Geographic Mint: Antioch Region: Syria Obverse Portrait: Galerius Reverse Symbol: Δ/*//ANT Deity: Sol. Obverse: IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG - Head laureate right. Reverse: SOLI IN-VICTO - Sol in long robe standing left holding bust of Serapis in left and raising right.
2. vcoins Maximinus II AE Follis SOLI INVICTO Sol, Serapis Head Antioch RIC 167b VF US$ 50.00 Rates for: 08/24/21 Maximinus II AE Follis. Antioch Mint 312 AD. Obverse: IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG, laureate head right. Reverse: SOLI IN-VICTO, Sol standing left, right hand raised, holding head of Serapis in left hand; DI left; * Right; ANT in exergue. RIC VI: 167b. Size: 20mm, 5.13g. Numismatic Notes: Good VF!
3. http://www.constantinethegreatcoins.com/Rulers/Maximinus_II/Antioch167b.jpg Maximinus II A.D. 312 21x22mm 5.2gm IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS PF AVG; laureate head right. SOLI INVICTO; Sol standing left in long robe, right hand raised, left hand holding head of Serapis; BI in left and ✶ in right field. In ex. ANT RIC VI Antioch 167b.
4. https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=130615 822606. Sold For $165. Maximinus II. AD 310-313. Æ Follis (20mm, 4.99g, 12h). Antioch mint, 6th officina. Struck AD 312. IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG, laureate head right / SOLI IN VICTO, Sol standing facing, head left, holding bust of Serapis and raising hand; ς/(star)//ANT. RIC VI 167b. Good VF.
5. https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=130611 822607 822607. Sold For $95. Maximinus II. AD 310-313. Æ Follis (21mm, 5.28g, 11h). Antioch mint, 1st officina. Struck AD 312. IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG, laureate head right / SOLI IN VICTO, Sol standing facing, head left, holding bust of Serapis and raising hand; A/(star)//ANT. RIC VI 167b. Near EF.
6. https://www.biddr.com/auctions/demos/browse?a=1648&l=1780075 Auction 1 Lot 555 Price realized 11 EUR 6 bids Starting price 1 EUR. Description Maximinus II AE21 follis. Antioch, AD 312. IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG, laureate head to right. Rev: SOLI INVICTO, radiate Sol in long robe, standing facing, head to left, with right hand raised and left holding head of Serapis; Γ - star across fields, ANT in exergue. RIC VI 167b. 20x21mm, 4,44g.
7. https://www.minotaurcoins.com/product-page/maximinus-ii-daia-ad-310-313-follis-sol-holding-head-of-serapis S$36.75 Sale Price MAXIMINUS II DAIA AD 310-313. AE Follis. 4.8g, 21.2mm. MINTED: Antioch mint, AD 312. REF: RIC VI Antioch 167b. OBVERSE: IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG, laureate head right. REVERSE: SOL IN-VICTO, Sol, radiate, standing left in long robe, right hand raised, head of Serapis in left hand; BI in left field, * in right, ANT in exergue. Grade/Notes: Almost Very Fine/Fine. Historical Notes: Maximinus II Daia was the nephew of emperor Galerius, and even before the latter's death, he had begun to claim the title of Augustus, in competition with Constantine I, Licinius, and Maxentius. Early Christian writers who lived through his persecutions of Christians ascribed all manner of crimes and sinful vices to him. Eusebius wrote that Maximinus was "deranged and crazed", an "instructor in wickedness to those about him", and that he "could not pass through a city without continually corrupting women and ravishing virgins." In 313, Maximinus's army was defeated by that of Licinius at the Battle of Tzirallum. Maximinus escaped the battle dressed as a slave and fled to Tarsus, where he continued to be beseiged by Licinius until his death in August of that year. MAXIMINUS II DAIA . AD 310-313 . Follis . "Sol holding head of Serapis".
8. https://www.ebay.com/itm/164163391751 FORVM Maximinus II Daia 309-313 AD Follis Antioch Sol Invincible Sun God. Condition:-- Price: US $81.00 Maximinus II Daia, Late 309 - 30 April 313 A.D. Maximinus II was made Caesar in the Tetrarchy in 305 A.D. In 311, Maximinus took advantage of the death of Galerius to invade and annex the latter's territory. In 313 A.D., he invaded Licinius' territory, and although he seized many cities his army was utterly destroyed in a battle on the 30th of April. He disguised himself as a slave and fled, falling ill and dying in the city of Tarsus. Sol Invictus ('Unconquered Sun') was the official sun god of the late Empire and a patron of soldiers. In 274, Aurelian made it an official cult alongside the traditional Roman cults. Scholars disagree whether the new deity was a re-foundation of the ancient Latin cult of Sol, a revival of the cult of Elagabalus, or completely new. The god was favored by emperors after Aurelian and appeared on their coins until Constantine. The last inscription referring to Sol Invictus dates to 387 A.D. and there were enough devotees in the 5th century that Augustine found it necessary to preach against them. RL93197. Billon follis, references: Hunter V 106 (also 1st officina), RIC VI Antiochia 167b, SRCV IV 14894, Cohen VII 161; condition: F/aF, porous, spots of encrustation, parts of legends weak, mint: 1st officina Antioch (Antakya, Turkey), weight: 3.669g, maximum diameter: 22.2mm, die axis: 0o, date struck: 312 A.D.; obverse IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG, laureate head right; reverse SOLI INVICTO (to the invincible sun god), Sol standing facing, head left, radiate, raising right hand commanding the sun to rise, head of Serapis wearing kalathos in left hand, A left, star right, ANT in exergue; additional comments: from the Errett Bishop Collection; $81.
9. https://nomosag.com/default.aspx?page=ucAuctionDetails&auctionid=4&id=830&p=3&s=&ca=12&type=webauction Lot 830 Starting Price: 75CHF. Hammer Price: 75CHF. Maximinus II, as Augustus, 309-313. Follis (Billon, 21mm, 4.32g 12), Antioch, 311. IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG Laureate head of Maximinus to right. Rev. SOLI INVICTO / Γ / * / ANT Sol, radiate, standing left, right hand raised and holding head of Serapis in left. RIC 167b. Nearly extremely fine. Current Status Online bidding closes: 21 Feb 2016 21:55:00 CET. Current Date & Time: 25 Aug 2021 09:07:08 CEST. Remaining Time: Closed. Hammer Price: 75 CHF by IKIK (Bids: 1).
10. http://www.altegeschichte.uni-freiburg.de/num/archiv_muenzenimfokus/copy_of_muenzenimfokus_zeugendervergangenheit Münzen im Fokus I: Zeugen der Vergangenheit: Der Kaiser und seine ‚Lieblingsgötter‘ Maximinus_Daia_Avers IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG Maximinus_Daia_Revers SOLI IN-VICTO // ANT RIC VI Antiocheia 167b (dort Revers mit abweichenden Beizeichen) Durchmesser 20-23mm, Stempelstellung 11h, Gewicht 4,11g. Dieser ‚Zeitzeuge‘ ist eine Bronzemünze (nummus) des Kaisers Maximinus II. Daia (305-313). Geprägt wurde die Münze im Jahr 312 n. Chr. in Antiochia am Orontes (das heutige Antakya war eine der megacities der Antike). Die Vorderseite zeigt den Kopf des Kaisers mit Lorbeerkranz nach rechts und die Rückseite Sol Invictus. Die rechte Hand des Gottes ist erhoben. In der Linken hält er eine Büste des Sarapis. Maximinus II. wurde 305 von Kaiser Diocletian zu seinem Nachfolger auserwählt, durch Adoption in die fiktive Dynastie der Iovier aufgenommen und als Caesar (Juniorkaiser) für den Osten eingesetzt. Wie bereits zuvor Diocletian versuchte auch Daia seine Herrschaft sakral über Bezüge zu Jupiter zu legitimieren. Der graeco-ägyptische Gott Sarapis – eine vielschichtige und komplexe Gottheit – wurde häufig mit Zeus/Jupiter und Helios/Sol synkretistisch verschmolzen, was beispielsweise Inschriften (IG Rom 194a) und Papyri (PGM II P 31b,1-10) belegen. Neben der Identifikation des Sarapis als Sonnengott war sein Charakter als Gott der Fruchtbarkeit ebenfalls von Bedeutung (zu erkennen an dem modius, einem Getreidemaß, das er auf dem Kopf trägt). Hierdurch auch als Personifikation der Provinz Ägypten ausgewiesen, konnte er als Symbol für die lebenswichtigen Getreidelieferungen dieser Provinz gelten. Indem Daia Sarapis auf seinen Münzen darstellen ließ, verdeutlichte er auch seinen Mitkaisern, wer die Kontrolle über die wichtigste Kornkammer und damit indirekt auch über Gebiete des Imperium Romanum hatte, die nicht unter seiner direkten Herrschaft lagen. In den Texten der christlichen Autoren Lactanz und Eusebius von Caesarea finden sich zudem Hinweise auf eine religiöse Reform unter Maximinus II. Daia und die Errichtung einer neuen, hierarchisch strukturierten Priesterschaft (Lact. mort. pers. 36,4f. Eus. H. E. 8,14,9 und 9,4,2.). Die zeitliche Einordung der in den zitierten Texten genannten Ereignisse stimmt mit der Datierung jener Münzen, die Sol und Sarapis zeigen, überein. Der vorliegende nummus trägt Darstellungen der ‚Lieblingsgötter‘ des Daia, deren Bedeutung durch diese Emission deutlich herausgehoben wurde. Vielleicht fungierten diese darauf gar als regelrecht neue Hauptgottheiten. Über die Parität von Sol-Sarapis mit Jupiter wird zudem  auch die Legitimation des Kaisers über die diocletianische Tetrarchie verdeutlicht. Diese Münze zeigt somit interessante Facetten der Instrumentalisierung von Religionen durch die spätantiken Kaiser
    

Best regards.
Giulio De Florio

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Note:
(1) According to RIC, the follis in the figure weighed 5.5-4.25g. I collect in the table below the physical characteristics of folles collected in the web:

It follows from the table that the physical characteristics of the coin in figure (5.13g, 21.3mm) fall within the variation margins of the coins collected in the web.
(2) IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG (IMPerator Caesar GALerius VALerius MAXIMINVS Pius Felix AVGustus). This 'contemporary witness' is a bronze coin (nummus) of Emperor Maximinus II Daia (305-313), minted in 312 AD in Antioch on the Orontes (today's Antakya was one of the megacities of antiquity). The obverse shows the head of the emperor with a laurel wreath to the right and the reverse Sol Invictus with right hand raised. The God holds in his left hand a bust of Sarapis. Maximinus II was chosen as his successor by Emperor Diocletian in 305, accepted into the fictional dynasty of the Iovians and installed as Caesar (junior emperor) for the East. Like Diocletian before, Daia also tried to legitimize his rule sacred through references to Jupiter.
(3) SOLI IN-VICTO (to the Unconquered Sun). The Graeco-Egyptian god Sarapis - a multi-layered and complex deity - was often syncretistically fused with Zeus / Jupiter and Helios / Sol, as evidenced by inscriptions (IG Rom 194a) and papyri (PGM II P 31b, 1-10). In addition to the identification of Sarapis as the sun god, his character as the god of fertility was also of importance (to be recognized by the modius, a grain measure that he wears on his head). As a result, he was also identified as a personification of the province of Egypt, and could be considered a symbol for the vital grain deliveries of this province. By having Sarapis depicted on his coins, Daia also made it clear to his fellow emperors who had control over the most important granary and thus indirectly over areas of the Roman Empire that were not under his direct rule. In the texts of the Christian authors Lactanz and Eusebius of Caesarea there are also references to a religious reform under Maximinus II Daia and the establishment of a new, hierarchically structured priesthood (Lact. Mort. Pers. 36,4f. Eus. HE 8,14 , 9 and 9,4,2.). The chronological classification of the events mentioned in the cited texts corresponds to the dating of the coins showing Sol and Sarapis. The present nummus bears representations of the Daia's 'favorite gods', the importance of which was clearly emphasized by this emission. Perhaps they even functioned as downright new main deities. The parity of Sol-Sarapis with Jupiter also clarifies the legitimation of the emperor via the Diocletian tetrarchy. This coin thus shows interesting facets of the instrumentalization of religions by the late ancient emperors. Coins with the same reverse were also struck in the name of Licinius and Constantine, a sign of the mutual recognition among sovereigns:

• Costantinus I:
• IMP C FL CONSTANTINVS P F AVG - Ric 167c;
• Licinius:
• IMP C LIC LICINNIVS P F AVG - Ric 167a;
• IMP C LIC LICINIVS P F AVG - Ric 168 (unavailable on line);
  
• Maximinus Daia:
• IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG - Ric 167b, the coin in question.

(5) is the mint mark, with Δ (= 4 in ancient Greek), coin workshop (fourth of 15 at the time active in the mint), with ANT (short for Antioch), the mint name and with '*', hallmark of the issue. The numbers of the coin shops, as it is clearly expressed by the site http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.6.anch.167b?lang=en, consist of the Greek letters A (=1), B (=2), Γ (=3), Δ (=4), ∈ (=5), ς (=6), Z (=7), H(=8), ∈ on Δ(=9), I (=10), AI(=11), BI (=12), ΓI(=13), ΔI(=14), ∈I (=15).