One of the lower priced “biblical coins” is the “Widow’s Mite”, a coin which has significance to both Jews (because it was struck by a King of Judea) and Christians (because of a story found in the Christian Greek scriptures)
In the original text of the bible the word “mite” is not found. The term comes from the King James Translation which used the word “mite” because it was possibly a commonly known coin denomination of very little value at the time.
The story of the Widow’s Mites is found in the Christian Greek texts of the bible, one account related in Mark 12:42 says: “Now a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins, which have very little value. 43 So he called his disciples to him and said to them: ‘Truly I say to YOU that this poor widow dropped in more than all those dropping money into the treasury chests; 44 for they all dropped in out of their surplus, but she, out of her want, dropped in all of what she had, her whole living.’”
The coin believed to have been the “Widow’s Mite” was struck by Alexander Jannaeus (who was King of Judea from 103 BC to 76 BC) These coins were minted from 103 to 76 BC, but remained in circulation for over a century. The design on the obverse is an anchor – the symbol for the royal family adopted by the Seleucid dynasty to symbolize their naval strength. The reverse design is a star and diadem. The star symbolized heaven – they percieved their power coming from God and the diadem symbolized royalty – they viewed their royalty and power as being ordained by God.
We currently have several hundred Widow’s Mites in our inventory ranging in price and condition (Click on image to purchase):
Budget ("Lower Grade") Widow's Mites - $6 Each
Mid-Grade Widow's Mites - $15 Each
High Grade Widow's Mites - $29 Each
