Egypt, Alexandria. Aurelian (Lucius Domitius Aurelianus) and Vabalathus (Lucius Julius Aurelianus Septimius Vabalathus Athenodorus), 271-272. Reduced Drachm (Bronze, 24.00 mm, 8.29 g). Dated RY 1 of Aurelian = AD 270/1 and RY 4 of Vabalathus = AD 270/1. AYPHΛIANOC AΘHNOΔΩPOC Confronted busts of Aurelian, to left, and Vabalathus, to right, both laureate, cuirassed and wearing paludamentum. Rev. L A (date) above and L Δ (date) below, within laurel wreath tied above with medallion. Dattari-Savio 5429. Geissen 3057. BMC 2395-96. Vogt II, 160. Emmett 3916. Extremely rare. Fine. Ex Italo Vecchi, London, purchased in October 1975. Of this type of coin, which represents the last Alexandrian bronze issue, two numerals are known, both very rare and distinguishable more by weight than by diameter, poorly minted and always in suboptimal condition. Our specimen is a reduced drachm. As on tetradrachms with images of the two rulers in an ephemeral and unnatural concord (Homonoia), this forced association lasted until the defeat of Vabalathus and his mother Zenobia by Aurelian's army. Cf. a similar specimen appeared in Astarte SA, Auction 23, lot 506: “This rare issuing of Aurelian and Vabalathus combined, by hasty strikes and always irregular size, is the final bronze Alexandrian coinage, of which exist two different numerals that we will fix as reduced drachm (of the weight of circa 8,5 g.) and reduced Hemidrachm (just a little over 4 g.). Our specimen should be considered a reduced drachm and belongs to the short-lived period of imposed Homonoia of 271- beginning of 272 AD, of Aurelianus together with the son of the notorious Zenobia. For further information on this subject, see, Staffieri G. M. Alexandria in Nummis, n. 245 and pp. 487-488.