AR24 - Antoninus Pius ΕΤΟΥϹ Β

Year 2 of Antoninus Pius corresponds to 138–139 AD, the first full regnal year following his accession after Hadrian's death in July 138. The Alexandrian mint shifted rapidly to the new emperor's portrait, as Egypt's prefectural administration required prompt acknowledgment of imperial succession — the province's semi-autonomous monetary system ran on its own calendar, with ΕΤΟΥϹ Β marking the second year by the Egyptian reckoning that reset at accession. Billon tetradrachms from this transitional year are typically among the scarcer issues of any reign, struck before full production rhythms were established.