Cistophorus - Claudius COS DES PRINCI IVVENT

The cistophorus was not a Roman invention — it originated as the principal silver coinage of the Attalid kingdom of Pergamon, and Rome inherited both the denomination and its production infrastructure when Attalus III bequeathed his kingdom in 133 BC. Claudius revived the type deliberately, issuing cistophori from western Anatolian mints as a regional currency for the province of Asia, where the three-denarii-equivalent weight standard had circulated for generations.

The title COS DES PRINCI IVVENT places this issue early in Claudius's reign, referencing the designation of a young prince — almost certainly Britannicus — as Princeps Iuventutis, a traditional honorific granted to heirs apparent.