Æ35 - Maximinus ϹΜΥΡΝΑΙΩΝ Γ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ ΠΡΩΤΩΝ ΑϹΙΑϹ ΕΠ Ϲ Μ ΑΥΡ ΠΟΠΛΙΟΥ

Smyrna's claim to be "first of Asia" and three-time neokoros was fiercely contested — Ephesus and Pergamon made the same assertions, and the rivalry was not merely civic pride but a matter of imperial tax status and festival rights. The city had aggressively lobbied Rome for each neokorate designation, with the third granted under Caracalla. Maximinus Thrax, who came to power in 235 after the assassination of Severus Alexander, never visited the eastern provinces during his reign, making these provincial bronzes the primary medium through which his image circulated in Asia Minor.