Æ27 - Valerian and Gallienus ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ ΤΩΝ ΕΝ ΙΩΝΙΑ

Metropolis in Ionia was a minor civic mint that punched above its weight during the joint reign of Valerian I and Gallienus, issuing bronze precisely because the Roman silver coinage of the period had become nearly worthless through debasement. The city's inclusion of the title ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ ΤΩΝ ΕΝ ΙΩΝΙΑ reflects an ongoing civic rivalry among Ionian cities for metropolitan status — a competition adjudicated by Rome and taken seriously enough to advertise on coinage. Valerian's capture by Shapur I at Edessa in 260 AD abruptly ended this joint-reign series.