Æ21 - Gordian III ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ

Metropolis in Ionia was a minor civic center that nonetheless maintained the right to strike bronze coinage under the Roman provincial system, issuing under Gordian III as part of the broader Greek Imperial output administered through the Ephesus conventus. The city's name — simply "Mother City" — belies a relatively modest archaeological footprint. Its coins are scarce in any condition, the result of limited original production rather than heavy attrition in circulation.