Smallest Ancient Coins Ever !

let find a winner !!!

 

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Seleucid , Syria - Antioch

here is Trajan Sestertius for comparison

 

Awesome coin.... a great elephant with fantastic detail...and it certainly is tiny!!
Can you measure the coin and maybe give a little more information about it?

Here is my smallest at 9.5mm- but this is massive compared to many that will be displayed here. It's a bit rough.. but not a bad $10 purchase.



Here is the attribution that came with my coin - but I still have a lot of work to do... I was provided great guidance here - just need time to nail it down..

Marcian, AE4, Nicomedia, 450-457 AD. DN MARCIANVS PF AVG, pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right / Monogram type 2c within wreath (still working on verifying this monogram - do not think it is correct) with exergual line, star above. Mintmark NICO (no mintmark). RIC X 559; Sear 21396.(we shall see)

 

1.5 g. about 10mm diameter

 

Yep - that is certainly small..
Do you know anything about the coin? The reverse is very bold and very desirable .. what a great elephant!! Great coin!!
It has excellent reverse detail but I can't make out much on the obverse from the picture.
Where did you get it? What do you know about it?

 

here some better photo of the reverse

i dont know much about c0in but i like elefants

 

i found better example , such detailed coin

 

That coin is twice the size of yours at 19mm and weighs 6.37g and has a longer inscription. Yours is like this one.

 

That's massive!

Here's one of my tiny coins



Sicily, Syracuse
ΣVRA
Head of Arethusa right

Octopus; 3 Pellets around

0.21g

466-405 BC
Second Democracy

Very rare denomination AR tetronkion
Unlisted?

Ex-ANE

 

I believe this to be my smallest coin coming in at 6mm:

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)

In comparison:

 

The smallest Chinese coin ever made:

 

I started collecting US coins in Kindergarten and thought that the 3-cent silvers were delightfully small coins. If you had shown me some Greek fractions back then my mind would have been blown!

On left is a remarkably detailed 4mm Hemitetartemorion (or minuscule fraction of a stater) from Kyzicus in Mysia, 0.09g. The smallest and most detailed Kyzicus fraction I've yet come across.

On right is a more nuggety 4mm, "Lesbos, Uncertain" Billon 1/48 or 1/72 stater depicting an eye, 0.14g. Just a moment ago I was poking around and found the same coin (the curved tear-duct corner of the eye is also present on mine, just doesn't show well) that sold for 525 euros (!?!) in a Pecunem auction: https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&sid=875&lot=335
Not sure if some billionaire oil sheik was responsible or if they are actually that rare. Got it for free so either way the price was right.


@TypeCoin971793 What are the specs on that tiny Chinese coin? And is that Zincoln a die-clash? Never seen such a small cash (1/100th cash? )

 

~5mm, and my scale read 0.0g

 

I never get to compete when some of our CT friends have their "hockey puck" largest Ptolemaic coin offs...but for these I can break out the BIG (little) guns with one of my oldest Greek coins. It certainly is my oldest fouree.


Ionia.Ephesos
Circa 600-550 BCE
1/48 stater El fouree
Tiger paw
3 MM, 0,15 gr

 

Here are some of the smallest in electrum, down to 1/192nd stater:

 

I think perhaps you are the winner. Groovy elephant.

I seldom post coins that are not in my collection but this one was in the @Ancientnoob collection. It has a tiny elephant (but not such a tiny coin).


Chalukya of Kalyana
Jayasimha II Jagadekhamalla,(r. AD 1015-1042)
AV Pagoda 18 mm x 3.79 grams
Obverse: 2 x Sri, Temple/ spearhead with central rosette. - Kannad Script -Jakadeva
Reverse: Uniface - Countermarked elephant right. Uncertain symbol.
Ref:Mitch, Karnataka Andhra 273 var
Note: Very rare with elephant punchmark.

 

Little late to the party

My smallest
Troas, Kebren
Hemitartemorion, 5mm 0.07g
Head of Apollo / Head of Ram


Close second place from medieval India
Vijayanagar, AR Tara, 13/14th century
Deer with dagger above / blank
5mm, 0.09g


Smallest I own may or may not be a real coin. Ostensibly Vijayanagar AV 1/4 fanam, 2-3mm and less than 0.05g

(Left two, plus a 19th century Mysore fanam, Soloi tetartemorion, Phokaia diobol, Kyzikos hemiobol)
The type apparently came out of the blue in immense numbers a few years ago; they may or may not be fantasy pieces made specifically to be "the smallest coin ever made"

 

It is an actual gold coin, I also have one.
The only photo I cam locate at the moment.

 

This is my smallest. I know, it's huge by comparison to many of the excellent coins posted here.