AR23 - Gordian III L Γ

Gordian III's Alexandrian tetradrachms are dated by regnal year rather than Roman consular year — this piece, struck in Year 3 (L Γ), falls in 239–240 AD, early in a reign that began when the thirteen-year-old emperor was elevated by a mutinous army that had just killed his predecessor Philip's appointee. The Alexandria mint operated under tight prefectural control and maintained its own closed currency system, meaning these billon tetradrachms circulated exclusively within Egypt and were exchanged at the border.