By far the smallest coin in my collection is this tiny 12mm lepton (widow’s mite). The obverse shows an anchor and the reverse features an eight pointed star. These coins were minted in vast numbers by Alexander Jannaeus, who ruled in Judea 103-76 BC. It is probably the lowest denomination coin ever struck and they were still commonplace in Judea during the ministry of Jesus. In fact, archaeological evidence shows that they were still in use into the 2nd century.
In the Gospels (Mark 12v41-44 and Luke 21v1v4) we read of a poor widow casting two of these tiny coins into the treasury. Not many people would have noticed the poor widow among the multitude but Jesus did, and he knew her circumstances. Jesus said "Of a truth I say unto you, This poor widow hath cast in more than they all: for all these did of their abundance cast in unto the gifts, but she of her want did cast in all the living she had." This teaches us that God measures the true value of a gift, not by its financial worth but on how much it costs the giver to give it.