The expressiveness of coins

Coins rank among the most common and informative legacies of the past. They are works of art and tell of trade and economic life in earlier days. In their capacity as legal tenders with weight, fineness and value guaranteed by the issuing state, coins also contain vital information on the political conditions, religion and culture of the respective place and period. In fact, some rulers and cities we know only from their coins. Like other forms of representation, coins are subject to specific iconographic traditions. Every coin embodies a puzzle, often yet unsolved, a microcosm that has a story to tell about its time and place.