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Æ27 - Valerian and Gallienus ΑΠΗΝΗ ΕФΕϹΙΩΝ
| Issuer | Mint of Ephesus |
|---|---|
| Year | 253-260 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Emperor Valerian facing right, depicted from the rear in the characteristic three-quarter back view. The effigy shows the imperial paludamentum fastened at the shoulder, with traces of scale or segmented cuirass visible below. The surrounding field carries a Greek imperial titulature legend distributed around the periphery. The coin exhibits a heavy brown patina with areas of green cuprite, consistent with prolonged burial. The portrait, though worn, retains the characteristic strong-jawed rendering typical of Valerian's provincial coinage from the Ephesian mint. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ΑΥΤ Κ ΠΟ ΛΙΚΙΝ ΒΑΛΕΡΙΑΝΟϹ (Translation: Emperor Caesar Publius Licinius Valerianus) |
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| Additional information |
Ephesus retained the right to strike provincial bronze under joint imperial authority throughout the co-regency of Valerian I and his son Gallienus — a period that ended abruptly when Valerian was captured by the Sasanian king Shapur I at the Battle of Edessa in 260 AD, the first Roman emperor ever taken prisoner in the field. The civic mint at Ephesus would have ceased striking coins bearing both emperors' names at that point, making the dating window for this issue unusually precise.
The ethnic ΑΠΗΝΗ ΕФΕϹΙΩΝ identifies this as a civic issue rather than an imperial one, with Ephesus asserting its own identity on the coinage as it had done for centuries under Roman oversight.