Say Hello to my Little friend!

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Severatus, Apr 26, 2015.

  1. Severatus

    Severatus Active Member

    C'mon join the Itty Bitty Coin Committee ( IBCC)

    Coins so small not even NGC can handle them! IMG_1483.JPG IMG_1482.JPG IMG_2028.JPG
     
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  3. chrsmat71

    chrsmat71 I LIKE TURTLES!

    that's an awesome little coin, amazing how much it is able to look like it's big brothers considering how tiny it is.
     
  4. Gao

    Gao Member

    I'm always amazed at how they could put that much detail on such a tiny surface. They had to hand carve those dies, and it's hard if they had good magnifying lenses of any sort. I'd love a good example of a tiny Greek coin like this.
     
  5. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    Ditto. Here is one of my istsy bitsy coins:
    AEOLIS, KYME.jpg
    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
     
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  6. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    What mint is your obol? I believe mine is Arados.
    g02165bb3062.jpg

    The only part of my collection that my daughter wants when I am gone are my 'Tiny Treasures'. I keep them separately to make that easier when the time comes. To make the cut, a coin has to be smaller than an obol. I notice a lot more interest in them lately which means I am not getting as many. Certainly many of them are in poor condition since they tend to be individual finds not protested by pots with other coins.
    http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/tiny.html
    [​IMG]

    #1 on my want list is a 1/8th obol of Athens but they almost never show up. Most so identified are Eastern copies rather than Athenians or terrible condition larger denominations. I bought the ugly thing below as what it is - a 1/4 obol at 0.15g. It shows the helmet rather well but sorry about the face. This is my space filler. Hopefully I'll get a better one someday.

    g01315bb3200.jpg
     
  7. ValiantKnight

    ValiantKnight Well-Known Member

    I don't collect ancient Greek but I do have very small Roman coins, most notably two of my rarest coins, the Western Roman emperors Majorian (457-461 AD) and his successor Libius Severus (461-465 AD).

    Majorian, Western Roman Empire
    AE nummus
    Obv: D N IVL MAIORIANVS PF AVG, pearl-diademed, draped bust right
    Rev: VICTORI-A AVGGG, Victory advancing right, holding palm branch and trophy
    Mint: Milan (Mintmark: MD; struck 457-461 AD)
    Ref: RIC X 2642
    11 mm

    [​IMG]


    Libius Severus, Western Roman Empire
    AE nummus
    Obv: D N LIBIVS SEVERVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped bust right
    Rev: Monogram of Ricimer within wreath
    Mint: Rome (struck 461-467 AD; Libius Severus reigned 461-465 AD)
    Ref: RIC X 2715
    9 mm

    [​IMG]
     
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  8. zumbly

    zumbly Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana

    What a cool bitty coin, and in relatively excellent condition to boot.
    My little archaic flyspeck is a troll in comparison.

    upload_2015-4-27_12-7-53.png
    MYSIA, Kyzikos (?)
    Circa 525 - 475 BC
    AR Hemiobol
    0.26g, 6.8mm
    Apparently unpublished, known from a h̶a̶n̶d̶f̶u̶l̶ thimbleful of examples.
    cf. CNG 213 Lot 151
    O: Head of Attis right, wearing Phrygian cap.
    R: Quadripartite incuse square.
     
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  9. AncientJoe

    AncientJoe Well-Known Member

    I love small coins. The artistry is often equal or better than their larger brethren and the ability to physically engrave upon such a small canvas is very impressive.

    Here are a few of mine in silver:

    Akragas obol (0.79 grams)

    [​IMG]

    Aegina obol (0.91 grams)

    [​IMG]

    And a mini-denomination set of electrum (still looking for a 1/48th and 1/96th stater:

    Lesbos hekte (1/6th, 10mm, 2.55 grams)

    [​IMG]

    Ram hemihekte (1/12th, 8mm)

    [​IMG]

    Phokaia myshemihekte (1/24th, 6mm, 0.66 grams)

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  10. THCoins

    THCoins Well-Known Member

    I may have shown this before, but it is my personal favourite:
    SelIOnCent2.jpg
     
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  11. stevex6

    stevex6 Random Mayhem

    Wow, Severatus => fantastic new addition!! (super sweet, congrats)

    Here are a few of my lil' darlings ... I'll give more details when I get home from work, later today (man, sometimes work gets in the way of good quality coining!!)

    :woot:

    ISLANDS off THRACE, Thasos
    AR Sixteenth Stater – Hemiobol

    Circa 500-480 BC
    Diameter: 8 mm
    Weight: 0.56 grams

    Islands Off Thrace Thasos Hemiobol.jpg

    IONIA, Ephesos, AR Tetartemorion
    Circa 500-420 BC
    Diameter: 5 x 8 mm
    Weight: 0.17 grams

    Ionia Ephesos Tetartemorion.jpg

    IONIA, Erythrai. AR Hemiobol
    Circa 480-450 BC
    Diameter: 6 mm
    Weight: 0.29 grams

    Ionia Erythrai.jpg

    LESBOS, Mytilene. EL Hekte – Sixth Stater
    Circa 478-455 BC
    Diameter: 10 mm
    Weight: 2.48 grams

    Lesbos Mytilene.jpg

    LESBOS, OBOL (graphics by Coin Princess)
    500-450 BC
    Diameter: 9 mm
    Weight: 1.05 grams

    Lesbos Two boars confronted TIF.jpg

    TROAS, Kebren, AR Obol
    5th century BC
    Diameter: 7 mm
    Weight: 0.61 grams
    Troas Kebren Obol.jpg

    TROAS, Kebren, AR Diobol
    5th century BC
    Diameter: 8 mm
    Weight: 1.16 grams
    Troas Kebren Diobol.jpg

    Ionia, Miletos AR Obol

    475-325 BC
    Diameter: 9.5 mm
    Weight: 1.10 grams
    Ionia Miletos a.jpg Ionia Miletos b.jpg
     
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2015
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  12. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    Wow, Severatus... that is an exceptional tiny coin!

    Here are some of my smallest, edited to scale with a US dime for reference.

    TinyCoins_edited-2.jpg

    Left to right, row by row, from the top:

    CALABRIA, Tarentum. AR litra, 11 mm
    CARIA, Mylasa. AR hemiobol, 7 x 9 mm
    ARKADIA, Psophis. AR obol, 10 mm
    MACEDON, Pangeion region. AR 5 mm, 0.26 gm
    ARKADIA, Arkadian League, Megalopolis. AR obol, 11 mm
    MYSIA, Pitane. AE 9 mm
    IONIA, Klazomenai. AR diobol, 9 mm
    IONIA, Klazomenai. AR diobol, 10 mm
    PHLIASIA, Phlius. AR obol, 11 mm
    SICILY, Selinos. AR litra, 11 mm
    CARIA, Kindya. AR tetrobol, 11 mm (but quite thick, 2.18 gm)

    5 mm Macedonian monkey atop a 48 mm Ptolemy II bronze:

    [​IMG]
     
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  13. Okidoki

    Okidoki Well-Known Member

    Thrace Mesembria. Diobol 1.31 gr
    290 P Trace Mesembria BMC.jpg
    MYSIA, Lampsakos. Diobol. 1.26 gr 11 mm.
    350Greek.jpg
    MYSIA. Kyzikos. Obol 0.79 gr 12 mm.
    249 P MYSIA. Kyzikos. Obol BMC 118.jpg
     
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  14. stevex6

    stevex6 Random Mayhem

    Ummm, I think 10 mm is the unwritten diameter of the "wee coin" ... yes?

    => well, I gots a few more of 'em!!


    :woot:

    MACEDON, Mende. AR Tritartemorion
    Circa 460-423 BC
    Diameter: 10 mm
    Weight: 0.62 grams
    Macedon Mende on Deck.jpg


    MACEDON, Eion, AR Obol? (Tritartemorion?)

    Circa 460-400 BC
    Diameter: 10 mm
    Weight: 0.37 grams
    Macedon Eion Double Geese.jpg

    Caria, Mylasa, AR Hemiobol
    ca 450-400 BC
    Diameter: 7.9 mm
    Weight: 0.52 grams
    last one.jpg

    TROAS, Kebren, Æ9

    Circa 400-387 BC
    Diameter: 9 mm
    Weight: 0.69 grams

    Troas Kebren AE9.jpg

    CILICIA, Uncertain, AR Obol

    4th century BC
    Diameter: 10 mm
    Weight: 0.60 grams

    Cilicia Obol Eagle on Lion.jpg

    Rhodes AE10
    Date: 350-300 BC
    Diameter: 10 mm
    Weight: 1.30 grams
    Rhodes AE10.jpg

    ARKADIA, Arkadian League. AR Obol
    Megalopolis mint
    Circa 340-330 BC
    Diameter: 10 mm
    Weight: 0.74 grams
    Arkadia Arkadian League.jpg

    => well, that's most of 'em anyway (my hand is gettin' tired from typing!!)

    ;)

    Man, I'm kinda like Gulliver, eh?!!

    gulliver.jpg
     
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2015
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  15. Okidoki

    Okidoki Well-Known Member

    Very nice

    Here is my smallest.


    .

    No reference.

    Sorry :D
     
  16. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    I'm OK with the 10mm number. It is what I used for one of my pages where I showed photo taken through my microscope and 10mm was the largest that would fit in that circle of view. Some of these are no longer the best shots I have of the coins but it is how I came to define 10mm as tiny for my purposes. I no longer use the camera that shot these even though it works fine and was my first digital camera. We have come a long way in the 15 years since I went digital. It is hard to believe that I paid $1000 for a camera in 2000 that is not as good as some $100 models today.
    http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/microdigital.html

    [​IMG]
     
  17. stevex6

    stevex6 Random Mayhem

    sweet => that's a beauty, Oki

    ;)
     
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2015
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  18. stevex6

    stevex6 Random Mayhem

    you're 100% correct ... 20 years ago I paid $5000 for a 48 inch rear-projection TV (man, I was cool back then?!!)

    ;)

    I now have a 60 inch plasma ... pretty sure I got it for $1000 (with a stand)
     
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  19. Cucumbor

    Cucumbor Well-Known Member

    Each and every of these little coins are true beauties
    Thanks for showing them folks, it's a wonder

    Q
     
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  20. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    I have trouble seeing the Mesambria diobol obverses as helmets. To me it looks like couture :D.

    ThraceMesambriaDiobolBarbie_edited-2.jpg
     
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  21. stevex6

    stevex6 Random Mayhem

    Huh ... really?

    Ummm, I've always thought that it looked a wee bit phallic (but most things do)


    :oops:

    => damn that Rorshack!! (really, you guys don't see it?!)
     
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2015
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