Æ24 - Septimius Severus ΕΠ ϹΤ ΡΟΥΦΙΝΟΥ ϹΜΥΡΝΑΙΩΝ

Smyrna was among the most politically aggressive cities in the province of Asia when it came to cultivating imperial favor, and the magistrate named in this coin's legend — Rufinus — held the strategia during a period when civic minting was effectively a competition for Roman attention. The city had suffered a catastrophic earthquake under Marcus Aurelius and rebuilt substantially with imperial assistance, leaving it with both the infrastructure and the motivation to produce flattering bronze issues for each new reign.

Septimius Severus came to power through civil war, defeating Pescennius Niger — whose own base of support lay heavily in the eastern provinces, including Asia. Smyrna's prompt acknowledgment of Severus in bronze was not incidental.