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Æ18 - Antoninus Pius ΜΗΤ ΚΑΙ ΠΡΩΤ ΝΙΚΟΜΗΔΕΙ
| Issuer | Nicomedia (Bithynia and Pontus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 138-161 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.00 g |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of the emperor Antoninus Pius facing right, with finely rendered wreath of laurel leaves and visible drapery at the shoulder. The portrait is executed in the characteristic provincial style of Bithynian civic coinage, with a slightly raised relief. The encircling Greek legend runs along the periphery of the flan. The flan is irregular and shows a natural green patina consistent with provincial bronze issues of the Antonine period. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Nicomedia's civic bronze coinage under Antoninus Pius reflects the city's long-running rivalry with Nicaea over which held the title of "first city" of Bithynia — a competition prosecuted not with armies but with honorifics stamped on coins. The legend abbreviating Μητρόπολις Καίσαρος Πρώτη Νικομηδεία was a direct assertion of metropolitan primacy, and Nicaea issued its own competing legends in kind throughout the same reign.