Æ26 - Septimius Severus ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ

Nicaea's civic bronze coinage under Septimius Severus reflects the city's aggressive courtship of the new emperor during the civil wars of 193 AD — the Year of the Five Emperors. Nicaea had backed Pescennius Niger, and after Niger's defeat, the city worked to rehabilitate its standing with Severus through conspicuous loyalty displays, including prolific bronze issues bearing his portrait.

The ethnic legend ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ places civic pride front and center, a deliberate assertion of local identity within a province Rome had held for over two centuries.