Æ21 - Valerian and Gallienus COL G IVL H P (R)

Parium, a Roman colony on the southern Maeander coast of the Propontis, maintained active civic bronze coinage through the joint reign of Valerian I and Gallienus — a period defined less by stability than by the near-simultaneous crises of Valerian's catastrophic capture by Shapur I at Edessa in 260 and the fragmentation that followed. Colonial bronzes from Parium are modestly scarce; the mint was not prolific, and the window between Valerian's accession and his capture in 260 was the last moment this pairing could legally appear on any issue.