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Message:: [QUOTE="lordmarcovan, post: 2724834, member: 10461"]Yes, gold fanams from the Indian Princely States. Some of the tiniest and most affordable gold coins you can acquire.  I used to be able to get them for less than ten bucks apiece, but nowadays $25-30+ is more the norm. They're tiny and crude, but a few centuries old.  (I do not have the skill to exactly attribute yours, beyond confirming them to be gold fanams as [USER=83636]@goombanj[/USER] pointed out.) Because of their gold content and the novelty of their small size, these are quite popular. I heard a story that they were "largesse money"; that is, they would've been scattered to the crowd by the local prince or potentate, perhaps during festivals.  I have no idea if that's true or not, but it's a colorful story, and fun to think about. Makes me wonder what a metal detector could find in some of those Indian villages.  If those things hit the dirt, a lot of 'em would've stayed gone.  I lost one in [USER=81808]@Aethelred[/USER]'s old apartment once, in the living room.  We tore the place apart looking for it and failed to find it.  Months later, he or his wife found it while sweeping dustbunnies out ... from under the fridge, two rooms away, in his kitchen! The moral of that story is, keep those in a secure holder, and don't drop 'em! <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie2" alt=";)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]