How does money shape the choices we make and the futures we imagine? This question sits at the heart of Money in a Time of Crisis, a new online exhibition from Manchester Museum. Created by historian Dr Stefano Locatelli in collaboration with Bryan Sitch, Honorary Curator of Numismatics, it brings coins, tokens and banknotes from the Museum’s collections into conversation with moments when money became unstable, uncertain or difficult to access.

The exhibition moves across more than 2,000 years, from a credit crisis in ancient Rome to hyperinflation in 1920s Germany. Shortages of small change, shifting systems of exchange and the rise of paper money all point to a simple idea: money works because people trust it.

The objects may be separated from us by centuries, but the concerns they raise feel familiar. Rising prices, stretched savings and restricted access to money shape meals, warmth, travel, work and the decisions people feel able to make.

Money in a Time of Crisis is not a simple comparison between past and present. It offers space to reflect on the material traces of money and the lives around them. A coin is more than a date and a denomination. It has passed through hands, pockets, markets and households. It has been earned, borrowed, saved, spent and sometimes lost.

Money also shapes what we can access. Manchester Museum is free to enter, and everyone is welcome. During a cost-of-living crisis, that matters. A day out can be something weighed carefully against other needs, but spending time at Manchester Museum does not have to mean spending money.

That principle runs through the building in practical ways. Our picnic area has been designed with the same care and attention as our café, with sinks and microwaves so visitors can bring and prepare their own food. These details may seem small. They’re not. The University of Manchester’s ‘cosy campus’ recognises the importance of warm and supportive spaces for students. At the Museum, that same care extends to communities and families, who can warm up a meal, take a break, spend time, sit together and feel welcome, without needing to buy lunch.

Money in a Time of Crisis asks what happens when the systems around money come under pressure. The Museum cannot remove that pressure, but it can make some things easier by keeping culture free and making a space where people can spend time without spending money.

• Visit the online exhibition Money in a Time of Crisis