MACEDON. Koinon of Macedon. Vespasian. A.D. 69-79. Æ. 9.14 gm. 25 mm. His laureate head left; ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΩΡ ΟΥΕΣΠΑΣΙΑΝΟΣ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ / Decorated Macedonian shield; ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΩΝ. RPC II 334. AMNG III 250. Good Very Fine; dark red patina; well struck; some roughness on obverse; bold high relief portrait. Rare.

The Koinon of the Macedonians was a confederation of Macedonian cities under a central government or king (or, under Roman rule, the Roman emperor). Rooted in the Hellenistic period, this central administration handled diplomatic issues both between member city-states and with foreign bodies. Coins issued in the name of the 'Macedonians' first appear during the reigns of Philip V and Perseus, and continued to appear under Roman rule. The Romans reorganized the Koinon around the imperial cult and put members of the local elite in charge. They organized and financed festivals and games, and were awarded Roman citizenship in return. The iconography of the Koinon issues (Alexander the Great, the Macedonian shield, and so on) reflect a powerful ethnic and civic identity that, as it was no longer a threat to Roman control, was allowed to flourish. (Howgego, Christopher; Heuchert, Volker; Burnett, Andrew, Coinage and Identity in the Roman Provinces. 2005.)