It’s not often you hold an almost 2,000 year old coin in your hands. The rare time I use cash and get change in return, none of the coins is older than a decade.

I got the opportunity to hold this one at the British Museum last week. To bring the experience home to museum-goers there are sometimes opportunities to handle the exhibits. It is the oldest man-made object I have ever held in my hand, except for the 3,000-year-old stone axe I also held that afternoon.

This silver coin looks pretty well preserved for something minted under Antoninus Pius, a Roman emperor I had never heard of. He reigned from 138 to 161, between two men I had heard of, Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius.

It is about the size of a Canadian dime, a ten cent piece, but had considerably more purchasing power. It is a denarius.

If you are a Bible reader you probably remember several references to the denarius. It was the standard silver coin of the Roman Empire. When Jesus asked for a coin to make his point about taxation, it was a denarius that was handed to him.

Back then this coin was worth about a day’s wages for a manual laborer. I guess that is around $200 in today’s money.

I have seen denarii before in different museums over the years. But I don’t remember ever holding one. Doing so brings the history alive in a different way.

Given the length of the Roman occupation of Britain, more than four centuries, thousands of such coins have been discovered around the country. I suppose if I had gone into a coin shop I could have purchased a denarius as a souvenir. If I had thought of it, I might have done so.

Maybe next time. But probably not, given that I haven’t collected coins since my pre-teen years. I don’t think i want to stary a new hobby now.

Then again, you never know.