Post Your Tiny Treasures (13mm and under)

[JAZ Numismatics]

A thread for your smallest coins, let's see them! 13mm is the cut-off. I'll start with a minute bronze of Neandreia. Pretty solid detail for an 11mm coin...

 

TROAS. Neandria or Neandeia.

AE11, 1.5g; 350-310 BC.

Obv.: Laureate bust of Apollo right.

Rev.: Grain kernel; grape bunch on stem to left; NEAN to right.

Ref.: SNG Cop 449. 

[Roman Collector]

Here's my favorite wee one!

Troas, Sigeion, c. 335 BC.
Greek Æ 12.2 mm, 2.37 g, 5 h.
Obv: Head of Athena facing slightly right, wearing triple crested helmet and necklace.
Rev: ΣΙΓΕ, owl standing right, head facing; crescent to left.
Refs: BMC 17.86,7-10; SNG von Aulock 7637; SNG Ashmolean 1214–6; SNG Copenhagen 496–8; Sear 4145.

[expat]

I love the bulls head on this tiny coin

Kyzikos, Mysia. AE civic issue. 2nd-1st centuries BC. 11mm,  1.91 g. Bull's head right. / KY above, ZI below monogram ΡΔI within wreath. BMC 154

[Gallienus]

I got this as I like late Roman and try to illustrate the end of things. 

The "penultimate Western Roman Emperor: Julius Nepos 1st reign, 474-475 AD.

gold tremissis, direct purchase from Ed Waddell

 

 

In a later auction, I tried to buy a tremissis of Romulus Augustus (475? - 476 AD). I bid sort-of low as it had scratches on both sides but was outbid.  Anyhow at a 1/3 of a soldidus, a tremissis is a small coin.

[Ryro]

Fun thread idea JA!

Let's add some electrum to the mix:

IONIA. Phokaia. (Circa 477-388). EL Hekte.

Obv: Head of nymph left, hair in sphendone; seal to right.

Rev: Quadripartite incuse square.

SNG von Aulock 2120; Boston MFA 1908-9.

Condition: Fine.

Weight: 2.52 g.

Diameter: 10.19 mm

[AncientOne]

Here are a few 10mm and under. Anyone have Æ smaller than 7?

Aeolis, Autokane. Æ8 (3rd century BC).

Obv: Laureate head of Zeus right.
Rev: AYTOKA / Helmeted head of Athena left.
8mm., 0.58g.

 

Argolis, Argos. Æ9 (Circa 400-375 BC).

Obv: Head of Hera left, wearing stephane.
Rev: Head of wolf right.
BCD Peloponnesos 1120

 

 

Caria, Rhodes. AE8. Circa 394-304 B.C.

Obv: Rose with bud.
Rev: P - O, letters in lower field to left and right of rose.

 

 

Cyclades, Tenos. AE10. Zeus Ammon/grapes

Obv: Laureate and horned head of Zeus Ammon right.
Rev: T-H to left and right of bunch of grapes.
10mm.

 

Lesbos, Mytilene. Ae7 (Circa 400-350 BC).

Obv: Laureate head of Apollo right.
Rev: MYTI / Head and neck of bull right, head slightly facing.
BMC 23-4

Edited March 22 by AncientOne

[ela126]

I think these guys all qualify (3 nummi might be the biggest). I like the little ones of the late 5th early 6th century.

[kirispupis]

I actually picked up a similar Neandria recently.

Troas, Neandria
circa 400-300 BCE
Æ 11mm, 0,95g
Obv: Laureate head of Apollo right.
Rev: NEAN. Grain ear; grape bunch to right.
SNG Arikantürk 692-704; SNG Ashmolean 1175

 

Here are some other tiny favorites.

Cimmerian Bosporos, Myrmekion
Circa 470-460 BCE
AR Tetartemorion 5 mm, 0.22 g
Ant seen from above.
Rev. Quadripartite incuse square, pellets in two opposing compartments.
HGC 7, 54. MacDonald 6

 

Caria, Latmos
Circa 400-350 BCE
AR Tetartemorion 6 mm, 0.17 g, 3 h
Bare female head to right.
Rev. Monogram of ΛΑΤΜ.
HN Online 962. Konuk, Latmos, 5 (O4/R5)

 

Skamandreia, Troas
350-300 BCE
Æ 9mm, 0,95g
Obv.: IΔH, Head of mountain nymph Ida
Rev.: S-K-A, grape bunch
SNG Cop - , BMC 79.4, Klein -

[Ed Snible]

You titled this post "Tiny Treasures" but put the cutoff at 13mm.  I consider 13mm to be medium size.

Here is an 8mm:

 

THRACE, Thasos, 411 - 404 BC. AR Tritartemorion. 8mm, 0.42 g

Here's a 6mm:

Pamphylia, Side Circa 300 BC, Tetartemorion. 0.15g, 6mm
Ref: Unpublished denomination.  cf. SNG Von Aulock 4774 (obol), cf. SNG Paris 731-739 (obol)
 

[Phil Anthos]

2 hours ago, Ed Snible said:

You titled this post "Tiny Treasures" but put the cutoff at 13mm.  I consider 13mm to be medium size.

I agree, half my collection could fit here.

Now here's a small coin!...

Taras, Calabria

480-470 BC AR Hexas (5mm, 0.08g) O: Scallop shell with 7 teeth, within linear border. R: Wheel with four spokes. D'Andrea IV, 78; Vlasto 1118; SNG France 1617; HN Italy 836 Very scarce From the E.E. Clain-Stephanelli collection. ex Naville Numismatics How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Only a few less than can dance on this coin! This tiny and rare little coin is now the smallest in my collection. Being but 5mm and weighing less than 1/10th of a gram, this coin is about the size the LED 'Power On' light on a small device.

 

Edited March 22 by Phil Anthos

[John Conduitt]

Yes there are some areas where 11-13mm is typical. I could post almost all my Saxon coins in that range. But for Roman Empire, nothing.

This coin has such high relief it's almost spherical.

Verica Minim, 10-40

Silchester or Chichester, Atrebates tribe. Silver, 7mm, 0.35g. Wine cup; REX above. Eagle right; VERICA COMMI F around (S 159).

This is my smallest modern coin.

Elizabeth I 6th Coinage Halfpenny, 1582-1584

Tower. Silver, 9mm, 0.24g. Portcullis Gate with chains; mintmark A. Long cross moline with three pellets in each field (S 2581).

[ValiantKnight]

Odoacer, Kingdom of Italy
AE nummus
Obv: OD[O-VAC], bare-headed, draped bust right
Rev: Odoacer's monogram (letters ODOVA: “Odovacar”) within wreath
Mint: Ravenna
Date: 476-493 AD
Ref: RIC X 3502

10 mm, 0.85 grams

[seth77]

Baduila AE5mm 0.24g nummus

[Tiny Child]

My smallest coin is my Uncia/Half Quadrans of Trajan coming in at 11.5 millimeters.

Trajan, Uncia, Rome Mint (for circulation in Syria), Struck 117

 

Obverse Design: Laureate and draped bust of Trajan right.

Reverse Design and “Legends”: SC within wreath.

[JAZ Numismatics]

1 hour ago, Tiny Child said:

My smallest coin is my Uncia/Half Quadrans of Trajan coming in at 11.5 millimeters.

Trajan, Uncia, Rome Mint (for circulation in Syria), Struck 117

 

Obverse Design: Laureate and draped bust of Trajan right.

Reverse Design and “Legends”: SC within wreath.

That's a VERY scarce coin in a very nice grade.

[red_spork]

Hopefully this guy can come to the party. He's just slightly bigger at about 13.5mm at the widest point measured by my calipers but you don't see these half victoriati often at all and you could be forgiven for mistaking them for a silver sestertius(even though they're about 40-50% heavier):

Roman Republic AR Half Victoriatus(13.5 mm, 1.45g). Anonymous("VB" series). ca. 211-208 B.C. Uncertain mint(traditionally, Vibo Valentium). Laureate head of Jupiter right. Bead and reel border / Victory standing right, crowning trophy with wreath; VB ligate on exergue between; S to right. ROMA in exergue. Line border. Crawford 95/2

 

And of course my silver sestertii. Everyone needs one of these especially if you collect the later big bronze ones:

Roman Republic AR Sestertius(12.75 mm, 1.14 g, 2h). Anonymous, first anonymous denarius coinage series. Circa 211 B.C. Rome mint. Helmeted head of Roma right; behind, IIS. Border of dots / Dioscuri galloping right; in linear frame, ROMA. Line border. Crawford 44/7; Sydenham 142; RSC 4; Russo RBW 176-177.

 

Roman Republic AR Sestertius(12.7mm, 1.12g, 11h), Anonymous(Uninscribed sibling of Corn-ear series), 211-208 B.C., Sicilian mint. Helmeted head of Roma right with "spike" on rear of helmet; behind, IIS / The Dioscuri galloping right; below, ROMA in linear frame. Crawford 68/3; Russo RBW 284; Sydenham -

 

I actually recently added an updated "denominations" photo to my website showing the relative sizes of all these types. Those interested can find it here.

[Furryfrog02]

I haven't seen this posted yet, so here we go:

On the larger side of small:

Dardanos, Troas
Civic Issue
AE13
ca. 380-350 BC
Obverse: Horseman, wearing petatos, galloping right
Reverse: ΔAΡ downwards to right, cock standing right, torch in upper left field

 

And my smallest:

Kyme, Aeolis
AE10
c. 350-250 BC
Obverse: Eagle standing right
Reverse: K-Y to left and right of cup with one handle

 

[Postvmvs]

Here is tiny fractional Athens owl (0.33g 7mm) I acquired before my collection became more focused. Not sure on the exact attribution.

[AncientNumis]

Here are some of my favourite tiny coins, both EL Hektai (9mm and 10mm).

 

[ambr0zie]

18 hours ago, Ed Snible said:

You titled this post "Tiny Treasures" but put the cutoff at 13mm.  I consider 13mm to be medium size.

 

Exactly my thoughts. I am a fan of tiny coins but I raise the stakes - or lower in this case?!

5 mm and 0.08 g  (not a typo)

7 mm 0.46 g

7 mm 0.52 g

 

7 mm 0.14 g

7 mm 0.18 g 

 

7 mm 0.19 g

 

7 mm 0,27

8 mm (because of the flan shape) 0.18 g 

8 mm 0.52 g

7 mm 0.30 g

6 mm 0.23 g

11 mm and 1.7 g - I do no not consider this small 

Bonus - this is also a medium sized coin for me but it can safely be considered small and it was a big target I wanted to acquire for years. 

12 mm, 0,70 g.

Wallachia. Radu I 1377-1383. Æ Ban.

[+IW] PDI VAD (combination of Latin and Cyrillic letters for +IW RADOLI VAIVODE); eight ray, inner holed star; outer pearl circle / Large cross with anchor ended arms, a six ray star in each quarter; outer pearl circle.

MBR 78a.

Radu I (~1377 - 1383), brother of the famous Vlaicu I (1364 - ~1377) and father of the glorious Mircea the Old. This voivod (reigning prince) achieved for the first time for him and his descendants the title of Great Voivod (appearing on coins also).

[JAZ Numismatics]

The cutoff was no LARGER than 13mm. Go as small as you have. Great coins everyone!

[Finn235]

My favorite tetartemorion - 6mm / 0.15g

[Petar_rc13]

This is my follaro of William II, king of Sicily (reigned 1166-1189). 13mm and 2.9gr. It was minted either in Palermo or Messina.

Despite the fact that William II de Hauteville ruled over a largely christian realm, the island of Sicily was multi religious. At the time the island had a large muslim population.

William minted coins with the image of a lion on the obverse and an arabic inscription on the reverse.

[Phil Anthos]

A little heavier than the last one I posted, but not by much...

Taras, Calabria

480-470 BC AR Hexas (5mm, 0,11g) O: Wheel of four spokes. R: Wheel of four spokes. D'Andrea IV, 79; Vlasto 1123; SNG France 1620; HN Italy 978 Very rare ex Goduto The spoked wheel motif was fairly common on archaic Greek coins, and its simplicity of design was especially suited to diminutive silver coins such as this one.

[DonnaML]

Coins this small astound me, and convince me all the more that ancient engravers of coins (and jewelry/intaglios, many of which were equally tiny) must have had access to some sort of magnifying lenses, whether made of rock crystal or other materials. I don't believe for one moment that the magnifying lens was first invented by Roger Bacon in medieval Europe. (See my comment in the thread on the "Tomb of the Griffin Warrior" a couple of years ago, citing the attached article on this subject.)  

I don't actively collect such tiny coins, primarily because I'm afraid I'd lose them. So I have only two that are 13 mm. or under, one ancient and one 18th-century British. (I used to have a second ancient, an Apollonia Pontika drachm with gorgon & anchor, but like most of them it turned out to be a counterfeit, and London Ancient Coins accepted its return, even years after the fact.)

Ancient:

Mysia, Kyzikos, AR Diobol, ca. 450-400 BCE. Obv. Forepart of boar left; to right, tunny [tuna] upwards. Rev. Head of roaring lion left within incuse square.  Seaby 3846 [Sear, David, Greek Coins and their Values, Vol. 2: Asia & Africa (Seaby 1979)]; Von Fritze II, Group II, No. 9 (p. 36) [Von Fritze, H., "Die Silberprägung von Kyzikos" in Nomisma IX (1914), at pp. 34 - 56]; BMC 15 Mysia 108-113 [Wroth, Warwick, A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 15, Mysia (London, 1892) at pp. 34-35]; SNG BnF 361-366 [Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, France, Cabinet des Médailles, Bibliothéque Nationale, Vol. 5, Mysia (Paris 2001)]. 10 mm., 1.22 g., 6 h.

 

George II AR Maundy Penny, 1729. Obv. Young laureate and draped bust left / Rev. Date over small crown and figure "1."  12 mm., 0.51 g. S. 3715.

The_Use_of_Magnifying_Lenses_in_the_Clas (1).pdf