Antoninianus of Gallienus 

Curator: Look at this intriguing piece! It’s an Antoninianus of Gallienus, currently residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Immediately, I sense a personal history. It feels so worn, almost like a lucky charm, with that little hole—did someone wear it as a pendant? Curator: Quite possibly! These coins, issued under Emperor Gallienus, weren't always the highest quality, you know. The silver content was often quite low. Editor: That's interesting. So, even then, the symbol was perhaps more valuable than the substance? And what stories has it been a silent witness to, passed from hand to hand? Curator: Exactly! It speaks volumes about value, trust, and perhaps even desperation in a turbulent era. It makes me wonder about the hands it passed through and what significance it had to them. Editor: It almost feels like holding a whisper of the past. The weight of history in a tiny disc. A tangible memory, weathered but enduring.