Æ29 - Gordian III ΕΠΙ ϹΤΡ Μ ΙΟΥ ΗΡΑΚΛΑ ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ

Metropolis in Ionia was a minor city that punched well above its weight in civic coin production under Gordian III, issuing a notably diverse series during his short reign. The magistrate named in this legend — M. Ios. Heraklas — is attested across several dies from the city, suggesting he held the strategia long enough to oversee multiple emissions. Metropolis never achieved the output volume of neighboring Ephesus or Smyrna, which makes die-linked groupings from this magistracy particularly useful for reconstructing the city's mint sequence.