Cistophorus - Nerva COS III

Nerva's cistophori were struck at the Pergamon mint in Asia Minor, continuing a tradition that stretched back to the Attalid kingdom of the second century BC. The denomination had long functioned as a regional currency for the eastern provinces, valued at three denarii but rarely circulating outside Asia. Nerva's COS III issues date to 97–98 AD, the final months of his reign before Trajan's succession — making this among the last coins he authorized before dying of natural causes in January 98.