Æ26 - Gordian III ΟΔΗϹϹΕΙΤΩΝ, Ε

Odessos, on the Black Sea coast of modern Bulgaria, was a prosperous Hellenistic foundation that retained its Greek civic identity well into the Roman imperial period — hence the Greek ethnic legend rather than a Latinized form. The Ε appearing in the field is a denomination mark, part of a local bronze series organized by the city's own magistrates, a practice that distinguishes Odessan civic coinage from the more administratively uniform output of neighboring Moesian cities. Gordian III's reign saw unusually heavy provincial bronze production across the lower Danube region, likely driven by military pressures along the Gothic frontier.