Antoninianus of Probus 276 - 282

Curator: This is an Antoninianus of Probus, a coin minted during his reign, now residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Well, it looks ancient. You can practically feel the weight of history in that grainy surface. Sort of melancholic, don't you think? Curator: Indeed. The Antoninianus format speaks to late Roman monetary reforms, a devalued currency reflecting the instability of the period. Note the obverse portrait: the radiate crown, a visual signifier of imperial power. Editor: Power and decay all rolled into one little disc. It's like a tiny mirror reflecting the rise and fall, the whole drama of empire. I find that quite powerful. Curator: Precisely. The coin serves as a potent symbol, a material artifact embodying abstract concepts of authority, economics, and societal transformation. Editor: It makes you wonder who held it, what stories it could tell if it could talk. Makes you want to write a poem, or maybe just hold on tight to your own pennies a little longer.