Tetradrachm - Claudius II Alexandria

Claudius II died of plague in August or September of 270, making his Alexandrian tetradrachms a product of an unusually short reign — roughly two years. The Alexandria mint under Roman imperial control had long operated on its own billon and then increasingly debased bronze standard, largely isolated from western mint practice. By the time of Claudius II, the silver content in these tetradrachms had effectively collapsed to a surface wash over bronze cores.

Milne 4248 corresponds to year 1 of his reign. The Egyptian regnal year system means pieces can be dated with more precision than most provincial issues of the period.