Æ23 - Valerian and Gallienus ΝΙΚΟΜΗΔΕΩΝ ΤΡΙϹ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ

Nicomedia held the title of neokoros — official keeper of an imperial cult temple — three times over, a distinction fiercely competed among Bithynian cities and reflected in the ΤΡΙΣ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ legend. The joint reign of Valerian and Gallienus, father and son co-emperors from 253, produced a flood of provincial bronze across Asia Minor as the central mint system strained under near-constant military crisis. Valerian's capture by Shapur I at the Battle of Edessa in 260 ended the joint issue abruptly, making the precise terminal date of this type impossible to pin down without die study.