Coin of Maurice Tiberius, Alexandria 582 - 602

This coin was minted in Alexandria during the reign of Maurice Tiberius, and I love how the process of its making, the act of striking the metal, feels so close to the surface. There's a real physicality to this little object, isn't there? You can almost feel the weight of the hammer, the pressure that formed these shapes. The patinated bronze is really something: it's got this gorgeous, worn texture that speaks to centuries of use, of being handled, traded, and carried around. See how the inscription is slightly off-center on one side? It’s kind of wonky and charming, like the hand of the maker was a little unsteady. Maybe that was a feature, not a bug. It reminds me of some of the early abstract expressionists, like Franz Kline, who embraced chance and imperfection in their work. It’s all about the beauty of the imperfect, the accidental, the human touch.