Æ25 - Trebonianus Gallus ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ

Nicaea was one of the most prolific civic minting authorities in Bithynia, continuing to strike bronze well into the third century even as the Roman imperial mint system expanded. Trebonianus Gallus came to power after the death of Decius at the Battle of Abritus in 251 — the first emperor killed in battle against a foreign enemy — and his two-year reign coincided with renewed Plague of Cyprian devastation across the provinces.

Civic bronze of this period from Bithynian cities was winding down; Gallus-era Nicaean issues are among the last the city produced before municipal coinage ceased altogether in the region.