Scarce Ancient Roman Provincial coin of Caracalla minted in Amasea, Pontus

Caracalla as Augustus under Septimius Severus
Issue: Year 208 (AD 205/6) 
Size: 31mm Weight: 16.16 grams 
Obverse: ΑΥ ΚΑΙ Μ ΑΥΡ ΑΝΤΩΝΙΝΟϹ; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Caracalla, right, seen from rear 
Reverse: ΑΔΡ ϹΕ ΑΝ ΑΜΑϹΙΑϹ ΜΗΤ ΝΕ ΠΡ Π ΕΤ ϹΗ (or ΑΔΡ ϹΕ ΑΝΤ ΑΜΑϹΙΑϹ ΜΗ ΝΕ ΕΤ ϹΗ); Tyche standing facing head left holding rudder in right and cornucopia in left

Reference: RPC V.3 №: — (unassigned; ID 87784 or 83155)

An extremely rare provincial issue, with only two specimens known to RPC, this coin offers a compelling glimpse into the monetary system of the eastern Roman provinces. The reverse clearly shows it was overstruck on an earlier provincial coin—not as a result of metal shortage, but as part of a broader fiscal and commercial reality. In the East, cities generally accepted only their own coinage not just for taxes and public payments, but also in everyday transactions, such as market purchases and shop payments. Foreign or damaged coins had to be exchanged, typically through trapezitai (licensed money-changers), and were either returned to their issuing cities or restruck locally. This coin preserves physical evidence of that practice—making it not only historically insightful, but also a rare survivor of the complex monetary life of the Roman East.