Aspron Trachy Nomisma of Theodore I, Nicaea 1208

Editor: This is an Aspron Trachy Nomisma of Theodore I, from Nicaea. It’s a small coin, really worn and with bright green corrosion. It feels like a relic of a forgotten empire. What stands out to you about it? Curator: It whispers tales, doesn't it? Look at that curve, the 'trachy' shape, almost bird-like. It was meant to be held, traded. I see the ghost of power, a fleeting image from a turbulent time, when Nicaea was the Byzantine Empire in exile. Does it make you wonder who held it last? Editor: Definitely. It makes history feel so tangible. I’d never thought of a coin being bird-like before. Curator: Coins are time capsules, little messengers. They remind us that even empires crumble, but sometimes, beauty remains. Editor: So true. I’ll never look at a coin the same way again.