Æ27 - Septimius Severus ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ

Nicaea's bronze coinage under Septimius Severus reflects the city's shrewd alignment with the winning side of the 193 AD civil wars. When Severus marched on Rome after Pertinax's murder, Bithynian cities moved quickly to court his favor — civic bronze issues bearing his portrait were a standard instrument of that political maneuvering, functioning as local endorsements as much as currency.

Nicaea and its rival Nicomedia competed fiercely for the title of First City of Bithynia throughout this period, a rivalry that played out partly through the prestige and volume of civic coin output.