My 2 smallest coins just arrived

I've been wanting something under 1 gram for awhile that was well detailed and attractive and I ended up winning both of these in the last month and both arrived in the last few days. I really like both of the designs, but the centering and style of the Magnesia ad Meander is excellent in my opinion. The skill of the engravers for such small dies has always been fascinating to me. These little guys are hard to photograph because they are so small!

Feel free to post your obols or anything roughly around the 1 gram range! (Or anything else related really)


Here are the descriptions:
IONIA, Magnesia ad Maeandrum. Circa 400-350 BC. AR Trihemiobol (9mm, 0.83 g, 6h). Helmeted head of Athena right / Trident within circular maeander pattern. SNG Kayhan 405–7; SNG von Aulock 2032. Attractive iridescent tone, a few marks. Good VF. Well centered and fine style.

THRACE: Thasos, AR trihemiobol (0.84g), ca. 412-404 BC, HGC-6/351, Le Rider-27 (Thasiennes), satyr kneeling left, holding kylix // amphora within incuse square, ΘAΣIΩN, light iridescent toning, VF, ex Bal Harbour Collection.

 

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My tinies on a bed of 1797 two pence, with penny for scale!

From the smallest: Indian Mysore gold fanam ~5mm (my smallest coin)
Indian Travancore gold fanam ~7mm
Indian Madurai Nayaka copper unit~9mm (much smaller if not for the off centred strike)
Panama 1904 2 1/2 centesimos- officially the smallest coin with modern minting process at 10mm
Indian Travancore 1 cash -11mm
USA three cents ‘trime’- 13mm

 

Gorgeous coins, @kazuma78 !

I really like the little tykes of coins!

 

This one is one of favorites, and it is dead on one gram:


Roman R epublic
AR Sestertius
After 211 BCE
12mm 1.0g
Rome mint
Roma r IIS (2 As and a Semis) - When a Sestertius was 1/4 Denarius and 10 Asses = a Denarius.
Dioscuri riding stars above, in ex ROMA
Sear 46 Craw 44-7 RSC 4

 

Kyzikos Ar Obol 450-400 BC Obv. Forepart of a running boar left. to right tunny fish. Rv. Head of roaring lion left. Sear 3848 0.79 grms 8 mm Photo by W. Hansen I do not generally keep small coins though this one is used when I try to explain the different denominations of Greek coins. I have always liked this one because of the flamboyant mane on the lion.

 

Absolutely beautiful @kazuma78 ! With coins like these I look forward to seeing your top 10 this year.

Here is my favorite little coin. Also a Magnesia ad Meander (struck by Themistokles).

IONIA, Magnesia ad Maeandrum
Themistokles, AR Hemiobol, struck ca. 465-459 BC
Dia.: 8 mm
Wt.: 0.24 g
Obv.: Head of Hephaistos right, wearing laureate pilos; Θ-E flanking /
Rev.: ΘE monogram in dotted square border within incuse square.
Ref.: Nollé & Wenninger 5a; Cahn & Gerin 8 = SNG München 585; SNG Copenhagen;
Very rare.
Ex Plankenhorn Collection of Ionian Coins

...and here is a not quite so small Thasos.

Islands off Thrace
Thasos AR Tetradracm, struck ca. 140-110 BC
Dia.: 29 mm
Wt.: 16.58 g
Obv.: Wreathed head of Dionysus, right
Rev.: Hercules standing right holding club; ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ in left field, ΗΡΑΚΛΕΟΥΣ in right field, ΘΑΣΙΟΝ in exergue. Μ to left of figure.
Ref.: Thasiennes 51
Ex arnoldoe Collection

 

ISLAND OFF THRACE THASOS
AR Trihemiobol
OBVERSE: Satyr running left, holding kylix
REVERSE: ΘΑΣ − ΙΩΝ Amphora Struck at Thasos, 411-350BC
0,7 g, 12 mm;
SNGCop 1030

 

Crazy how small these coins get. I restore clarinets and 8.0mm is about as small a pad as I ever use, and they’re very easy to lose. Can’t imagine using anything at or below that size in commerce.

The artistry forces us to consider that magnification was in fact used much earlier than mainstream historians maintain.

 

Now, let’s be like Steve Martin.. “Let’s get small…”


Iona Kolophon
AR Tetartemorion
530-520 BCE
Archaic Apollo
Incuse Punch
0.15g 4.5mm-
SNG Kayhan 343


ARKADIA Tegea AR Tetartemorion 0.2g 6mm 423-400 BCE Helmeted Hd Athena Alea T within incuse BCD Peloponnesos War 1721 HGC 5



IONIA Teos AR tetartemorion 0.2g 6mm Hd griffin R mouth open - Quadripartite incuse SNG Turkey 602



Ionia Miletos AR Tetartemorion 5.6mm 0.21g Roaring Lion Hd - Bird Klein 430 SNG Kay 941



Aeolis Elaia AR Tetartemorion 460 BCE Athena L - Olive Wreath 7.8mm 0.16g SNG Cop 166

 

I just read somewhere that the Greeks used polished lenses as early as the firth century BC, although I cannot say if they were used in cutting dies.

 

Or like Alice in Wonderland… REALLY get small…


Achaemenid Empire. Time of Dareios I, circa 510-486 BC. AR 1/32nd Siglos(0.11 gm, 5mm). Obv.: Persian hero-king r., in running-kneeling position.Rev.: Oblong incuse. Klein 758



Ionia AR Tetartemorion 4mm 0.13g 530-500 BCE Rosette - Incuse sq punch 5 pellets SNG von Aulock 1807

 

my two smallest Sol / Helios coins - 1.2 & 1.9 grams

 

Thats a very nice piece. This type is one I would love to add but typically the metal is in poor condition or strike is very off center. Your piece seems to have good centering, strike and metal.

 

I have the obol version of your Thasos coin. Different conservation (by far) but I like this coin.




10 mm, 0,73 g
Thasos, Thrace AR Obol. 450-425 BC. Satyr kneeling left, holding kantharos / ΘAΣIΩN, amphora. Grose McClean 4217. BMC 53

 

Wow, those are both fantastic!

The Magnesia ad Maeandrum trihemiobol is particularly outstanding. I wish it were mine. Congrats on the acquisition!

To take the edge off the envy I must post one of my best small coins.


SICILY, Selinos
Circa 410 BCE
AR litra, 11mm, 0.76 g, 1h
Obv: nymph seated left on rock, right hand raised above her head, extending her left hand to touch coiled serpent before her; selinon leaf above
Rev: man-faced bull standing right; ΣEΛINONTIOΣ above; in exergue, fish right
Ref: Potamikon, p. 116 figure 152 (this coin); HGC 2, 1229; SNG ANS 711–2 var. (ethnic); SNG Ashmolean 1904–5; SNG Lloyd 1270 var. (same); Basel –; Dewing –; Rizzo pl. XXXIII, 6. Good VF, dark iridescent tone, some porosity. Rare.
ex MoneyMuseum, Zurich;
ex Leu 79 (31 October 2000), lot 404;
ex Athos Moretti collection, #482, unpublished manuscript

 

@TIF that one is a beauty! That is a design I've not seen before but it is very cool. The toning is also quite nice! How long ago did you pick that one up?

 

Thanks! I bought it six or seven years ago when CNG was selling a handful of coins from the Money Museum. Later I was told of the Athos Moretti pedigree .

 

Thats very cool. As always, its fun to see your acquisitions as you have a good eye for cool and attractive pieces.