I’ve sold some lots of smaller AE3 and 4 coins. I am careful to state approximate diameter measurements in mm for each coin. a feedback for one of the sales is below. 14-17mm seems smaller in person I suppose
Sometimes I have a hard time picturing the size when I just see the numbers. I have this cool US coin size chart which helps me compare the coin in question with a US coin.
I eventually figured out that including a picture like this helps minimize that sort of question and/or feedback (Ignore the dust)
So when I go and weigh the ancient myself, it's going to weigh 1.3g because you have all the dust! For that, I would leave negative feedback if it was me.
Well, I had that problem too, in the beginning. When I bought a coin on ebay, I often didn't realize the size of it. So this barbarous barbarian turned out to be a miniminimus when it fell on my doormat, putting me off Vandals and Goths for a long time. Vandals, king Gunthamund (484-496). AE nummus, Carthage. Obv.: Pseudo-legend, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Gunthamund right. Rev.: cross within wreath. 10 mm, 0.79 gr. On the other hand, this one was sold on ebay without measurements, and it turned out to be much larger than I had expected (it cost exactly 1/18th of the Vandal coin). A real beauty with its subtle patina, large and thin. AE dirham Qarakhanids, 'Imad al-Din Ulugh Igdish Chaghri Khan, mint Benakath, 602 AH = 1206 AD. 38 mm, 6.44 gr. Album 3425. Kochnev 1144.
After getting a degree in meteorology, when all measurements were in SI, I STILL have no real concept of what metric units are. sure, the ceiling for X-type cloud is 18km, but what’s that in American units? Beats me... The only time I really started understanding mm was in ancient coins: >18mm is small, 20-25 is medium, and 25+ is large
Haha. When my first few coins arrived at the beginning of my collecting, I remember being a bit disappointed by their size too (LBRs). I had imagined these chunks of manly Roman bronze! Luckily the connection with their story and history was still strong and it didn’t put me off to much.
It’s funny how expectations never line up with reality. Holding my first nummus, at 9mm, I was wondering what exactly I was getting myself into. fortunately I found that big coins weren’t super expensive. Whew
In a similar vein, a vendor I sometimes buy from sells 1 g silver rounds and "bars" and there are PLENTY of complaints as to how small they are.