One of the most unique digital collections at Furman is the World Coin Collection which features ancient Hellenic and Roman coins as well as early modern and contemporary coins from Europe, Asia, Latin America, India, and Africa. The coin collection is part of the Library’s Special Collections and Archives, however the history of the collection and the donor is unknown.
Among the more fascinating items in this collection is the 1/512 mohar, “jawa”, or one-fourth Java coin. This tiny tender dating from the mid-1700s is less than 1/3 inch in diameter and weighs .01 grams. It was once touted as being “easily the smallest coin in the world” by The Standard Catalog of World Coins. However, this claim is refuted by some who argue the coin itself is not legal tender, and was merely cut out of the middle portion of the larger silver Java.
Either way, it is a fascinating piece of numismatic history.
