Æ30 - Valerian AVT K OVAΛЄPIANOC ANAZAPBO AYT ΓAΛΛIHNOC A M K BOC

Anazarbus held a fierce civic rivalry with Tarsus throughout the third century, repeatedly petitioning Rome for the title of metropolis and the right to host imperial games. The dual imperial portrait types issued under Valerian and Gallienus — father and son elevated together in 253 following Aemilian's murder — were precisely the kind of flattering civic gesture designed to curry favor with the new dynasty. The city had only recently secured its "first and greatest" title under earlier emperors, and bronze issues naming both rulers simultaneously were a calculated affirmation of loyalty during an unstable succession.