Coin of Manuel I c. 12th century

Curator: Here we have a "Coin of Manuel I," currently held in the Harvard Art Museums collection and weighing 7.16 grams. Editor: Wow, it looks like it has stories etched into it. The wear gives it a feeling of something handled, traded, and carried across lifetimes. Curator: Absolutely. As a coin produced under Manuel I, it provides insights into the economic and political dynamics of the period. It probably reflects the values and aspirations that the ruling class wanted to project. Editor: It is like holding a tangible piece of history. I imagine the hands it passed through, the marketplaces it was spent in. Curator: And its current presence in a museum transforms it again, from a tool of exchange to an artifact of historical inquiry and aesthetic appreciation. Editor: I’m struck by how much depth can be found in such a small object.