Æ21 - Antoninus Pius ΝΙΚΟΜΗ(Ε)ΙΑϹ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΟΥ

Nicomedia's title of neokoros — granted for its role as official keeper of an imperial cult temple — was fiercely competed for among Bithynian cities, and the right to advertise it on civic coinage carried genuine political weight. Nicomedia held its first neokorate under Vespasian and defended the honor jealously against rival Nicaea for generations. The spelling variation between ΝΙΚΟΜΗΕΙΑ and ΝΙΚΟΜΕΙΑ seen across dies of this type reflects inconsistent workshop practice rather than any administrative change.