Question

How do coins narrate history?

Answer 1

coins narrate history because they can be used to determine the time period of the time
using following criteria.
logo or picture of king, time period mentioned, metal used to make it ect.

Answer 2

The Lydian Lion coin directly preceded ancient Greek coinage, through which Rome begot all Western coinage, and which through the Seleukids, Parthians, and Sassanians begot all Islamic coinage. Indian coinage has largely been a product of Greek, Roman, and Islamic influences.
Chinese coinage, though it probably developed independently, was succeeded by Western-style coinage in the late nineteenth century.
Other countries in Asia, in Africa, and elsewhere have adopted the Western approach to coinage as well.

The Lydian Lion was minted by Alyattes of Lydia, Lydia, 610–560 BC.
 However, it took some time before ancient coins were used for commerce and trade. Even the smallest-denomination electrum coins, perhaps worth about a day's subsistence, would have been too valuable for buying a loaf of bread.
The Trojan Horse had become synonymous with the name of Agamemnon and the symbolism of the horse was stamped on the coins from Cyme in Aeolia, presumably in reference to the power of their lineage. Indeed, the daughter of Agamemnon of Cyme, Damodice, is credited with inventing coined money by Julius Pollux after she married King Midas - famed for turning everything he touched into gold.