Do you collect small (<15mm) coins?

I have quite a few very small coins, some of them are about 1cm only. I got most of them while buying a batch of coins that included some coins that I wanted.

Here are a few examples. As always, any help with ID is appreciated!

I believe the 2nd one is an URBS ROMA (which I have a few but this one is the smallest I've got).

 

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The middle one does look to be a VRBS ROMA. The other two look to be barbarous copies.

 

Yes, the first and third are so-called barbarous imitations of third century antoniniani, probably Tetricus I. These may have been issued in Gaul or Britain. Do you know where they were found?

 

Unfortunately I don't know where they were found.

 

Those barbarous imitations you showed are very interesting. One of these days I want to dip my toes into that pool.

Sure! Massive, miniscule, or medium, it's all good .

Here are some of my smallest, edited to approximate scale with a US dime for reference.



Left to right, row by row, from the top:

CALABRIA, Tarentum. AR litra, 11 mm
CARIA, Mylasa. AR hemiobol, 7 x 9 mm
ARKADIA, Psophis. AR obol, 10 mm
MACEDON, Pangeion region. AR 5 mm, 0.26 gm
ARKADIA, Arkadian League, Megalopolis. AR obol, 11 mm
MYSIA, Pitane. AE 9 mm
IONIA, Klazomenai. AR diobol, 9 mm
IONIA, Klazomenai. AR diobol, 10 mm
PHLIASIA, Phlius. AR obol, 11 mm
SICILY, Selinos. AR litra, 11 mm
CARIA, Kindya. AR tetrobol, 11 mm (but quite thick, 2.18 gm)

5 mm Macedonian monkey atop a 48 mm Ptolemy II bronze:

 

Beautiful collection @TIF ! I'm curious about the weight of the Ptolemy coin? I know some can reach 100gr.

 

My profile pic displays my smallest denomination - AR sestertius of the Roman Republic, ca. 1 gram - "in the hand" of an AE Aes Grave Quadrans, ca. 65 grams.

 

Yeah, small coins are lots of fun! Here are some Greek AR fractions on a 42mm Ptolemaic drachm. It's an old pic; not trying to copy the inimitable TIF. Got some even tinier ones now so an update is in order!

 

I do have some small coins. I do not specifically seek them out. Here are a few from my collection:


Aiolis, Gryneion
AE11, 1.3g, 12h; 3rd Century BC.
Obv.: Laureate head of Apollo, 3/4 facing left.
Rev.: ΓYP-NH; Mussel shell.


Pisidia, Selge.
Æ12, 2.4g, 7h; 2nd-1st centuries BC
Obv.: Laureate and bearded head of Herakles facing, lion-skin around neck; club to left.
Rev.: Forepart of stag right, head left.

 

I have several Tetartemorions that are approx / around 5mm in size and around 0.1g. Fun to collect. Mine are all BCE. I really do not collect “moderns” (my definition is any coins minted in CE / AD).

My Biggie and Smallie that I have posted before...


Carthage AE 15-Shekel 45mm dia & 7.5mm thick @ a hefty 102.6g vs Ionia AR Tetartemorion 4mm @ 0.13g
diameter: 11 to 1
Weight: 789 to 1


AMAZING to me that the THICKNESS of this coin is almost TWICE the diameter of the Tetartemorion!!!

 

I have smaller coins than this one, but it's the only one I've ever photographed sitting on a modern coin.

 

10x diameter difference: Tetartemorion from Lampsakos, c. 400 BC (6mm); and Xian Feng (1851-1861), 100 cash, Suzhou mint (60 mm):

 

Some do. Mine is 91.8 gm.

 

That is such a cool pic, @Severus Alexander ! How much does the 100 Cash weigh?

 

I usually don't go below 18 mm, as I can't make out much detail if it's smaller than a dime.

 

I dunno, @Nathan P ... I have no problem using a magnifying glass. The details can be astonishing. And, the die-cutters were amazing craftsmen. What is a dime?


CILICIA Uncertn Early-mid 4th C BCE AR Tetartemorion 5mm 0.17g Persian king running dagger and bow - Crowned hd Achaemenid king CNG E239 Troxell Kagan 4

 

AEOLIS, KYME
AR Hemiobol
OBVERSE: Eagle's head left, KY to left (M beneath the head, nearly off flan)
REVERSE: Quadrapartite incuse square of mill-sail pattern
Struck at Aeolis, 450BC
.46g, 7mm
SNG Cop 32

 

Thanks, Brian! It's not super thick, so only about 60g. Here's both sides, a little brighter:

Suzhou mint, Jiangsu province, H22.917

My notes on the history (since you're a history guy! ):
This coin was issued during the Taiping rebellion, and a few years later (in 1860) the rebels would take Suzhou and reduce it to a husk of its former self. The Taiping rebellion was led by religious fanatic Hong Xiuquan, who thought he was the brother of Jesus Christ, and wished to convert China to his syncretic version of Christianity which included elements of Chinese folk religion. It was the bloodiest civil war in history, with death toll estimates ranging between 20 and 100 million, mostly due to plague and famine. Suzhou was retaken for the Qing in 1863.

 

AE 4 of Marcian. It's 10.4 mm in diameter.