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Æ27 - Valerian and Gallienus COL IV CONC AVG APAM, D D
| Issuer | Apamea (Bithynia and Pontus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 253-268 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Gallienus facing right, rendered in three-quarter view from behind, with the radiate crown clearly depicted above the imperial portrait. The cuirass is visible at the shoulder, and the drapery falls across the chest in the provincial manner characteristic of Bithynian civic coinage of the mid-third century. The encircling Latin legend runs along the outer rim of the flan, which shows an irregular, somewhat uneven edge typical of hand-struck provincial bronzes. |
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| Obverse lettering | IMP CAES P LIC GALLIENVS AVG (Translation: Emperor Caesar Publius Licinius Gallienus Augustus) |
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| Additional information |
Apamea in Bithynia held the status of a Roman colony, and this joint issue for Valerian and Gallienus — father and son ruling as co-emperors from 253 — reflects the city's pride in that colonial standing, spelled out in the legend's reference to the *colonia*. The abbreviation D D indicates the coin was issued *decreto decurionum*, by vote of the local senate, a reminder that civic bronze remained a genuinely municipal product even under imperial co-rule.
The reign ended in catastrophe: Valerian was captured by Shapur I at the Battle of Edessa in 260, the only Roman emperor ever taken prisoner by a foreign enemy. Provincial mints throughout Bithynia largely ceased civic bronze production shortly after.