AR24 - Trajan Decius L - Α

Trajan Decius came to power after his troops declared him emperor in opposition to Philip the Arab, who died at the Battle of Verona in September 249. His reign lasted barely two years, cut short at the Battle of Abritus in 251 — the first time a reigning Roman emperor was killed in battle against a foreign enemy. Alexandrian tetradrachms of his reign are consequently confined to two regnal years, making year 1 pieces the product of an extremely compressed window of production.

The Α regnal date places this firmly in his first Egyptian year, running roughly from late 249 into 250.