Just won this, I have been looking around at them for awhile decided to go for it today managed to get it for a decent price. Starting to really like these small greek coins; Thrace, Apollonia Pontica 330 BC Diobol AR OBV: Head of Apollo facing REV: Anchor, flukes upward, A on left, crayfish on right 10 mm 1.35 g SNG BM 169 ??(wasn't listed in the auction description) Post your smallest coins!
Fantastic coin. Mine is roughly the same size too, but it has a test cut. My smallest coin at 6. 5 mm, a tertartemorion from Kolophon.
My Smallest: Ionia AR Tetartemorion 4mm 0.13g 530-500 BCE Rosette - Incuse sq punch 5 pellets SNG von Aulock 1807
That's a tiny one! That is BMC (Mysia) 15, which is .4 inches (10.16 mm) and 19.8 grains (1.28 g): The 169 number is likely to be SNG BM (Black Sea) 169, which is a different publication.
Two of my smallest examples: APOLLONIA PONTIKA AR Hemiobol OBVERSE: Anchor, A in field REVERSE: Swastika with two parallel lines in each quadrant Struck at Apollonia Pontika, circa 500BC .28g, 6.54mm SNG BM 149; Moushmov 3146 ex. Aegean Numismaics 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
Great little Gorgon! My smallest is also one of my oldest: Ionia. Ephesos circa 600-550 BC. 1/48 Stater EL fourrée 3mm., 0,15g. Lion's paw / Incuse punch. nearly very fine Karwiese series I / Type 1 (for prototype).
My smallest coin in weight: Silver tetartemorion, SNG Kayhan 940 ff., 0.284g, 6.4mm, probably Mylasa mint, c. 420 - 390 B.C.; obverse head of roaring lion left; reverse bird standing left within incuse square. My smallest, in diameter and probably my oldest coin: Ionia, unknown atelier (circa 650-600 BC) Electrum 1/24th stater, SNGvA 1802; Rosen 370; SNG Kayhan 713, 0.527g, 5.8mm, obverse facing lion head; reverse incuse punch.
I never grow tired of biggest/smallest threads. I love the style of the OP coin! [Edit: apparently a bit too nice... modern dies (see comments below).] I recently added this one: Lesbos c. 500 BCE, 1/48 stater(?), 0.34g, 5mm, 2 eyes or grains(?) The reverse could use a clean, but I'm afraid the coin would disappear! A few tetartemorions: Themistokles at Magnesia (465-459 BCE), 0.21g, 5.5mm My smallest: Athens, 393-294 BCE (among the latest tetartemorions; Athens was slow to move to AE for low-value coinage) 0.17g, 5mm Thraco-Macedonian tribes c. 500 BCE, 0.23g, 6mm Lampsakos c. 400 BCE, 0.18g, 6.5mm
Luckily I haven't paid for this yet, thanks to @Ed Snible pointing out it didn't look right to him I had a look on fake coin reports (thanks @Sallent) and found this fake which has the same lumps on the cheeks
Mine resembles yours but is worse in several ways. On the other hand, you don't see these everyday. This thread shows well that 'small' is a relative thing. A diobol seems massive by these standards. Bing showed a half. This is a quarter or tetartemoron (0.16g).
I'm glad you were able to sort it out, and I'm glad I could help. Still, I'm sorry it turned out to be a fake, but we've all had to deal with fakes a handful of times in this hobby. Buying reputable helps cut down on that, but even then one should always be a little skeptical and do further research no matter the source of the coin.
Another small example MYLASA, CARIA AR Tetartemorion OBVERSE: Lion's head left with reversed foreleg below REVERSE: Lion's scalp facing, flanked by leg on both sides, in incuse circle Struck at Mylasa, 392-376 BC .2g, 6mm SNG Keckman I 837-846 (lion left)
@Ed Snible, can you elaborate on the issues with the coin shown by the OP? It's not a match (obverse or reverse) for the FAC Fakes Gallery coin shown. Is it the style? Surfaces? Other?
Here are a few more little guys of mine: Iona Kolophon AR Tetartemorion 530-520 BCE Archaic Apollo Incuse Punch 0.15g 4.5mm- SNG Kayhan 343 Left old Uncert West Asia Minor Karia 5th C BC AR tetartemorion 5mm 0.15g Female - Frprt Bull man r Kayhan 968 exc rght Ionia Miletos AR Tetartemorion 5.6mm 0.21g Roaring Lion Hd - Bird Klein 430 SNG Kay 941 ARKADIA Tegea AR Tetartemorion 0.2g 6mm 423-400 BCE Helmeted Hd Athena Alea T within incuse BCD Peloponnesos 1721 HGC 5
Oh right!! I was looking on Reid Goldsborough's site and forgot it was you who had the extensive workup of these fake diobols .