Of all the inventions of civilization, coinage has perhaps changed the least in form and function over the centuries. Bearing the proud imperial portrait of Maximianus, this bronze coin was used by citizens of the Roman Empire to buy the luxuries and necessities of life. As our fingers rest today where theirs did so long ago, we are connected to their world an intimate way. The imagination can provide a hundred stories for where this coin has been and what it has bought. As we hold it today in its precious setting; we add our own chapter to its long and varied history.