Minima of Caesarea

Caesarea Maritima mint. AE 6 mm, 0.35 g. 2nd Century CE. Obverse: Bust (Hercules?) right. Reverse: Boar or wolf standing right. H. Hamburger "Minute Coins from Caesarea Maritima," (Atiqot vol. 1, 1954), #57. BCC m41.

This is one of the smallest coin types mentioned in Hamburger. Stunning black Caesarea-style patina. Coin much nicer in hand then in picture.

During the second century CE, a small unofficial mint in Caesarea, a city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in modern-day Israel, was established to mint large quantities of small denominations, perhaps because there was a lack of small denominations in the region. These "minimai" are usually very crude imitations of earlier official issues. H. Hamburger estimated that only 1 in 10 minimai have identifiable designs due the excessive wear that is usually found on these coins.

Ex. Coll: J. Berlin, Caesarea series.