Rhescuporis II ruled the Bosporan Kingdom as a client of Rome, and this stater was struck during the joint reign of Elagabalus — whose name appears in the dating formula — immediately following the chaos of Macrinus's brief usurpation. The Bosporan stater series had been debasing steadily for generations by this point; what was once high-quality electrum had become a heavily adulterated alloy, and specimens from this phase vary considerably in their gold content depending on the specific die pairing.
MacDonald 558/3 distinguishes this as the third obverse or reverse pairing within that regnal phase.
Rhescuporis II ruled the Bosporan Kingdom as a client of Rome, and this stater was struck during the joint reign of Elagabalus — whose name appears in the dating formula — immediately following the chaos of Macrinus's brief usurpation. The Bosporan stater series had been debasing steadily for generations by this point; what was once high-quality electrum had become a heavily adulterated alloy, and specimens from this phase vary considerably in their gold content depending on the specific die pairing.
MacDonald 558/3 distinguishes this as the third obverse or reverse pairing within that regnal phase.