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Æ22 - Valerian and Gallienus ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ
| Issuer | Nicaea (Bithynia and Pontus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 253-260 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Tyche, the personification of fortune and civic prosperity, is seated left upon an ornate throne. In her left hand she raises a prize crown (stephanos) above her head, while her right hand extends a second prize crown from which two palm branches protrude; she rests her elbow upon a third prize crown placed beside the throne, alluding to the city's celebrated agonistic games. The civic ethnic legend ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ is inscribed in the field, identifying the issuing authority as the city of Nicaea. |
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| Mintage | ND (253-260) |
| Additional information |
Nicaea was among the most prolific civic minting authorities in Bithynia during the joint reign of Valerian I and his son Gallienus, producing a substantial volume of bronze for local circulation while the Roman imperial mints were increasingly consumed by the pressures of the Crisis of the Third Century. The city had long traded on its claim as the site of the First Ecumenical Council — though that, of course, came later — and its civic pride translated directly into an active bronze coinage that kept the ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ ethnic prominent across dozens of types.
Valerian's capture by the Sasanian king Shapur I at the Battle of Edessa in 260 AD effectively ended the joint reign and halted most provincial issues bearing both emperors' names simultaneously.