Æ21 - Gallienus (sole reign) (C C I H P)

Parium, the old Milesian colony on the Propontis, retained its colonial coinage privileges well into the third century, striking bronzes under its own authority even as the central empire fractured. Gallienus's sole reign — after his father Valerian was captured by Shapur I at Edessa in 260 — saw provincial mints operating with unusual autonomy, the emperor too occupied with simultaneous usurpers and barbarian incursions to impose consistent monetary oversight. The letters C C I H P on this issue expand to Colonia Gemella Iulia Hadriana Pariana, the city's full honorific colonial title.