Æ29 - Marcus Aurelius ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ

Nicaea's civic bronze coinage under Marcus Aurelius was issued by a city acutely aware of its own founding myth — the name derived from Nike, goddess of victory, and the city never tired of advertising that connection through its local issues. The reign of Marcus Aurelius coincided with sustained pressure on the eastern provinces from Parthia, culminating in Lucius Verus's Parthian campaign of 161–166, during which Bithynian cities bore significant logistical burdens as supply and transit points.

Provincial bronzes of this size from Nicaea show considerable die variation across the reign, with the city issuing under its own magistrates whose names occasionally appear in the exergue.