Æ43 - Gordian III ΕΠΙ Κ ΦΑΝΙΟΥ ΘΕΜΙϹΩΝΟϹ ΑΡ ΑΔΡΙΑΝΕΩΝ

Hadrianeia was a minor city in Mysia whose civic coinage depended entirely on the patronage of local magistrates willing to fund issues at their own expense — or at least to lend their names to them. The magistrate Phanios Themison named here held the office of archon, and his tenure under Gordian III represents one of the more substantial documented issues from this mint. The sheer module of this piece, at 43mm, reflects civic ambition more than monetary need; medallion-scale bronzes like this were prestige objects, not pocket change.