Tetradrachm - Gallienus

By year 13 of Gallienus's reign — the date this piece carries in its regnal era notation — the Alexandrian mint was operating under severe constraints. The billon content had degraded so dramatically over preceding decades that many issues from this period contain less than 2% silver, effectively making them bronze coins with a briefly applied wash. Alexandria's mint had been politically volatile too: the city backed the usurper Aemilianus against Valerian in 261–262, and the resumption of loyalist coinage under Gallienus alone marks a specific realignment worth noting for dating purposes.