Follis

The Follis (plural folles) was introduce by Diocletian with his currency reforms of AD 294. The term follis actually means leather bag, but today we use the term to refer to the coins that would have been distributed in these leather bags. We do not know what these coins were called in ancient times, though some authors have suggested nummus, or centenionalis. Under Diocletian, the follis weighed roughly 10.5 grams and was roughly 4% silver. This remained unchanged until the first reductions in AD 306, with subsequent reductions reducing the follis to less than 3 grams by AD 335. The follis was produced throughout the Roman empire in huge quantities. Today they are relatively inexpensive and with all the bust type, reverse type and mint mark combinations, there are literally tens of thousands of different varieties to collect. They are hugely popular with collectors and are a great starting point for new collectors to get their first taste of Roman coinage.