Catalog
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| Issuer | Alexandria |
|---|---|
| Year | 269-270 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Tetradrachm (4) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Emperor Claudius II (Gothicus) facing right, rendered in the provincial style characteristic of the Alexandrian mint. The emperor's effigy displays a radiate or laurel wreath crown, with visible paludamentum (military cloak) and cuirass indicating his imperial and martial authority. The surrounding Greek legend runs clockwise along the beaded border of the coin's field. The flan is irregular in shape, consistent with hand-struck provincial coinage of the late third century AD. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Claudius II died of plague in early 270 — one of the few third-century emperors to die in office from natural causes rather than assassination — and Alexandria continued striking in his name briefly after his death while news traveled slowly across the empire. The Alexandrian mint had by this point reduced its tetradrachms to a thin silver wash over a copper core, a debasement that accelerated sharply through the 260s as the Roman monetary system fractured under military pressure and supply shortages.
Milne 4265 falls in the final emission of his reign, making exact dating to life versus posthumous issue genuinely uncertain.