Tiny Ancients (10mm and under)

It's remarkable to me that these were actually used as coinage. As long as I could use my reading glasses to pay for things, I would have be fine. These range from 8 to 10mm which is quite large when compared to the smallest. Anybody have a 1/96 Stater? Share your 10mm and under coins.


Aeolis, Autokane. Æ8 (3rd century BC).
Obv: Laureate head of Zeus right.
Rev: AYTOKA / Helmeted head of Athena left.
8mm., 0.58g.


Caria, Kaunos. AE10
Obv: Diademed head of Alexander the Great r.
Rev: Filleted cornucopia, K-AY(ligate).
309-189 BC.
BMC 12.


Miletos, Ionia. 1/12 AR stater. Late 6th Century B.C.
Obv: Forepart of lion, head turned r.
Rev: Stellate pattern within incuse square.
9-10mm, 1.2g.
BMC 34.

 

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This Mylasa obol is barely 8mm



And this Kyzicos boar is barely 9.5mm



And this Massalia obol approaches 9mm

 

Small coins don't mean they 'aint pretty. Here is one of mine that barely meets 10mm

 

I think this is my smallest greek coin {seller's pics}



Kolophon, Ionia hemiobol late 6th century BC
Archaic head of Apollo left; quadripartite incuse square
6.0 mm, 0.31 g

The seller (Roma) described this as a tetartemorion but based on weight it seems like a hemiobol to me. I would think it was pretty hard to keep to a weight standard with coins this small - it is tiny in hand.

 

Everyone's probably sick of seeing my grain of rice by now, but the pic also shows the smallest ancient (4.7mm tetartemorion of Teos) in my collection.



IONIA, Teos
AR Tetartemorion. 0.14g, 4.7mm, IONIA, Teos, circa 540-478 BC. Cf. CNG 63, lot 506. O: Head of griffin left. R: Quadripartite incuse square with raised central pellet.

 

Right at 10 mm each, I have two Leo and Aelia Verina bronzes:


Leo I
Roman AE-4 Half Centenionalis
Constantinople, AD 457-474
0.82 gm; 10 mm
Obv: DN LEO, diademed and draped bust, right.
Rev: b E, Verina standing, holding transverse scepter and globus cruciger.
Refs: LRBC II 2272; RIC 714; Sear 21436; Vagi 3739; MIRB 30.


Same, 0.73 gm; 10 mm

 

This is a poor pic. It was difficult to capture using my copy stand. However, this one is a wee silver coin:

Iona Kolophon AR Tetartemorion 530-520 BCE Archaic Apollo Incuse Punch 0.15g 4.5mm

This one is actually my lightest weight:

Persia Achaemenid Empire Darius I 510-486 BC AR 0.11g 5mm Persian hero-king in running-kneel Oblong incuse Klein 758 Rare

Some baby Gold:

Carthage - Zeugitana AV 1/10th Stater-Shekel 350-320 BCE 0.94g 7.5mm Palm- Horse Head

My smallest Bronze:

RI Valentinian III 425-455 CE AE 9mm Rome mint

 

So detailed and so tiny. I'd be scared to carry it in my mouth if I were an ancient. This is the one coin you could swallow and not even notice you swallowed it.

Maybe if we fired up a time machine, got a metal detector, and full hazmat suits, we could make a fortune digging these up in ancient Greek latrines. Gives a new meaning to the term sh***ng gold. I wonder how many pounds of gold and silver passed through the sewers ancient cities that minted these tiny coins.

 

Here's an obol of the Parthian king Orodes II (57- 38 BC), 10 mm diameter: (not a great photo, but it's hard to get good focus on such a tiny coin)

 

APOLLONIA PONTIKA
AR Hemiobol

.28g, 6.54mm

MYSIA
AR Hemiobol

0.41 g, 9.5 mm

AEOLIS, KYME
AR Hemiobol

.46g, 7mm

TROAS KEBREN
AR Obol

.56g, 7mm

THESSALY, LARISSA
AR Trihemiobol

.75g, 10mm

MYLASA, CARIA
AR Tetartemorion

.2g, 6mm

AEOLIS, AIGAI
AE 10

.9g, 10mm

 

Great coins everybody! Some truly tiny coins.

 

7.55mm .38 g

 

here's my smallest coin on my finger....

 

itty bitty coins. i was gonna post my small ones, but after seeing these(and measuring with a dime)most of mine are grade A large>< 10 mm is about half of a us dime. dynamite coins peeps.

 

i believe these may take the prize

 

My smallest

maybe Elea(Elia?), Aeolis, AR Hemiobol. Late 5th century BC. Head of Athena left, in crested helmet / E L A I, around olive wreath, all within incuse square. SNG Cop 164

 

If @AncientJoe was a 911 dispatcher.

 

Ionia, Teos. 320-294 BC. 1.0g 9.5mm diobol (imaged next to Lincoln cent for scale.)
Obv: Griffin standing right
Rev: ΔΙΟΥΧΗ[Σ] (Dioches, magistrate); Chelys (a musical instrument)

Image taken with $35 "Pluggable" USB microscope.