Itty Bitty coins

Does any body else have a special fondness for tiny coins?
This picture is of 2 of my smallest. The one on the left is one of the earliest coins minted from Miletos, Ionia now western Turkey. It is an 1/12 STATER minted about 550 BC and is 9mm. The one on the right is a 2 1/2 centesimos from Panama. It is 10 mm.

So what are the favorite itty bitty coins of the group? JonySky

 

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It is easy to know what the biggest coins are, but the smallest coins I have?

I am pretty sure it must be one of the ancients:



Ionia, Miletos AR 9mm ca. 600 BC

This one is about 8mm in diameter:



Ephesus, AE 8 ca. 250 BC

And this is not a coin but money:



AE Delfin or dolphin from Pantikapaion in Northern Thrace, present day Ukraine, 17mm long. Ca. 650 BC, perhaps my oldest form of money.

 

Of course its a coin.

As China demonstrated centuries ago, and several countries have recently reaffirmed, "coins" are not always round, or even geometrically shaped:

Fish are still with us in Vanuatu's 2006 50 vatu proofs, courtest Joel Anderson Interesting World Coins


Among the oldest is the "Ming" Knife - Angled Back from the ancient Chinese State of Yen, ca. 250-200 BC, courtesy Scott Seamans World Coins


Somalia checks in with its many motorcycle and guitar coins, including this Legal Tender Gary Glitter Guitar Dollar - 2004, courtesy Black Mountain Coins


And don't forget Zambia's 2000 Olympic 5000 Kwacha, also courtesy Joel Anderson

 

Here is an ancient (Roman) which is 8mm in diameter.

Take Care
Ben

 

Touted as the world's smallest gold coin. A fanam from Travancore, India, not dated, (about 1790-1830 AD). 7mm diameter.

 

Great looking Fanam example. Thanks for sharing. :thumb::thumb::thumb:

 

A Copper Uniface Coin

The coin is from Cambodia , 2 PE = 1/2 Fuang , a copper uniface , KM # 11

 

The Guinness Book of World Records used to have coin records in it back a long time ago, I think the smallest coin they had listed was some Nepalese coin that was 2mm wide.

Sometime I need to take a picture of the smallest coin I have, or even figure out what is the smallest coin I have, and put it with the largest coin, a 2 Daler plate money from Sweden. I know what the biggest coins are, but not quite sure on the smallest, maybe a gold coin from Guatemala or something. They made little gold 4 Reales coins in the 1860's that are tiny, and I have owned it for a long time.

 

I have a couple of fanam's, a very nice Maunday penny 1832, some rather small incused Greek & some small Roman LOL but best of all I am waiting on a Panamanian 1940 2 1/2 centesimos LOL

 

I think the smallest gold coin title is now given to a quarter fanam from India. They appeared in market few years ago and it was said that couple of hoards were found in Southern India in last few years. More then half of them were shipped to US dealers to be marketed here with title something like "The Smallest gold coin from India".

Regards,
Ballabh Garg

 

what a great thread! i was just perusing some ancient greek minis, and thinking about how much i like the wee ones. here are my two favorites from my own collection:

first pic is a 392/276 bc 10mm AR Diobol (1.29 g) from mylasa, caria, in asia minor, minted by the satrap hekatomnos, father of mausaulos.

second pic is a 440/426 bc 15mm AR hemicrachm of pharsalos in thessaly (2.5 g).

some really attractive, and interesting, coins in this post!

v.

 

tiny ancients

Great coins. The ancient Greeks are my favorite to. It amazes me at the detail they can put on such tiny planchets. My wife, who does not collect, can't believe that any one could possibly be able to buy such beautiful, detailed tiny works of art. And when I was just collecting world coins a $100 bucks seemed like a lot for 1 coin. But for a 2400 year old, hand crafted part of history, it doesn't seem like much at all. It does limit the quanity I can afford, but each one thrills me when they arrive. JonySky

 

Regarding the smallest coin, please read the following link.. This might help..
http://www.hinduonnet.com/2004/08/02/stories/2004080205820400.htm

 

One of my all time favourite coins is this coin from Mysore (under Tipu Sultan [later half of 18th C]).. Elephant was the national symbol of Mysore.. This coin is much smaller than a dime!!!! :kewl:

 

I have two tiny Greek AE's of my own. Plus, I was just bidding on an early Archaic electrum 1/24 stater, 8-7th centuries BC, as old as it gets! Of course, I lost by about $100.

Larissa Phriconis, Aeolis - 4th cent. BC 7mm (the bronze disease on this has since been treated)

Satraps of Ionia, Spithridates - before 334 BC 7mm

 

I have a tranquebar cash from the aerly 17th century...

 

They may not be the smallest but I like these - just got 10 of them. Now, if only I could hold them well enough to study them!

 

Ahhh, Russian silver 'Wire Coins' from the era of Russian Czars, in particular, Ivan the Terrible... I have some too:

 

Why...

Why do they call them wire coins? JonySky

 

small

These are the smallest that I have, not really sure what they are but they are small