Æ16 - Septimius Severus ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ

Nicaea was one of the most aggressively coin-producing cities in Bithynia under Severus, leveraging the provincial bronze coinage system to circulate loyalty messaging during a reign that began in civil war. Severus defeated Pescennius Niger — whose own supporters included several Bithynian cities — making Nicaea's early alignment with Severus a calculated political survival decision.