From Achaea to the Thames

At first glance, these small, uneven silver coins might be easy to pass over. Yet pieces like these, struck in the late 13th century, carry the quiet weight of an age defined by travel, trade, conflict and belief. Both are high-grade silver deniers, each bearing a prominent cross on the reverse, a design so common that coins like these are often loosely grouped under the catch-all label of “Crusader coinage”.

Their condition tells part of the story. Notice the clipping around the edges, a clear sign they circulated widely and were traded for their silver value rather than cherished as objects. These were working coins, handled daily, cut down when silver was scarce, and passed from hand to hand across borders.

The coin on the left was minted in Greece under Isabella of Villehardouin, Princess of Achaea, around 1297 to 1301. Her rule belongs to the complex world of the Latin states formed after the Fourth Crusade, when Western powers carved out territories in former Byzantine lands. The coin on the right, struck in Spain during the reign of Alfonso X of Castile, dates to around 1200 and was found in the Thames, not far from Charing Cross itself, a reminder of how far medieval money could travel.

To evoke the period, a painted curved wooden panel has been included alongside the coins, showing armoured figures in motion. It is a fitting backdrop for objects that sit at the intersection of commerce, crusade and everyday medieval life.