KINGS OF BITHYNIA. Nikomedes II Epiphanes (?), 149-127 BC. AE (Bronze, 10 mm, 1.37 g, 12 h), Miletopolis. ΕΠΙΦΑ/ΝΟΥΣ Athena standing front, head to left, resting her left hand on shield set on ground; behind, transverse spear. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕ[ΩΣ] / ΝΙΚΟΜΗΔΟΥ Owl standing right, head facing; above, star. HGC 7, 644 corr. (star not noted). SNG von Aulock 6893 corr. (star not noted). Very rare. A lovely example of this interesting issue. Very fine.

There is some debate as to whether this lovely small bronze was struck under Nikomedes II or one of his two eponymous successors. HGC suggests Nikomedeia as the mint of the issue, but it is worth noting that the von Aulock example was acquired together with four bronzes from Miletopolis. Given that this city used Athena and her owl as its main coin type in the Hellenistic era, it seems much more likely that our coin was also struck here