Æ18 - Commodus ΙΕΡΟϹ ΑΓΩΝ ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ

Nicaea held the right to stage sacred games — the ΙΕΡΟϹ ΑΓΩΝ — a privilege granted by Rome and jealously maintained as a marker of civic prestige against rival Nicomedia. These agonistic bronzes were almost certainly struck to facilitate prize distributions or ceremonial transactions tied to the games themselves, not general commerce, which explains their typically sharp surfaces and limited wear even in modest grades.