incredible
I have my theories of why the coins look as they do, back then things were really cool
The emperors, in their kingdom, give every visitor traits of themselves in their empire (current art, culture, politics, etc)
The coin represents the bounds of the empire, and that you as a visitor or a countryman stand in the square, with your own 'empire' with self governance within the confines of the empire you are visiting.
These people were incredible. What you can learn from some of the Nintendo games is amazing.