High Resolution JPEG Picture of These two mites are the real thing - about 2000 years old. The biblical story of the widow's mite appears in the New Testament (Mark 12:41-44), it tells of a poor widow who gave two mites to the treasury of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus used this offering, all that the poor widow owned, as an example of faith and sacrifice. The lepton (or Prutah) "mite" is the smallest of all Roman coins (smaller than a U.S. dime, or about 12mm diameter); it circulated in Judea beginning in 103 BC, continuing into the early 1st century AD. The Judean coins were hand-minted by striking long strips of blank bronze between two dies and hitting them with a hammer. When the strip was completed, the coins were cut apart. They were most often struck off center. The obverse shows an anchor. The reverse shows a star of eight rays. They typically circulated for a long time, and most specimens become worn nearly smooth. These two coins are two of the better specimens I've found. According to Mark, the lepton (or mite) was only half a kodrantes (Latin quadrans), which would indicate a value of about one-fourth of a cent or half an English farthing. [137006352] stock photo
