Drachm

Kyrene's wealth in this period was built almost entirely on silphium, the now-extinct plant that made the city one of the most prosperous Greek colonies in North Africa. The plant was so central to the economy that it appeared on the coinage, and ancient sources — including Theophrastus — record that it could not be successfully cultivated elsewhere, giving Kyrene an absolute monopoly. By the first century AD, Pliny reported it effectively extinct, likely due to overgrazing and over-harvesting.

The Rosen specimen is considered a primary reference example for the early coinage of this mint.