Recently, I added a fascinating piece to my collection, and the story behind it is intriguing.
A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a financial blog called 2-Copper-Coins.com. As a coin collector, the name immediately caught my attention. The blog offers a fresh perspective on money, written by a pastor who’s on a journey to financial freedom. After enjoying the articles, my curiosity about the blog’s name got the better of me.
I reached out to the blogger, Jon, for more details. He explained that the name is inspired by a Bible story where a widow gives two small copper coins, all she had, and is praised by Jesus:
“[41] Jesus sat down opposite the temple treasury and watched those giving their money. Many rich people gave large amounts. [42] But a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. [43] Jesus called his disciples and said, ‘This widow has put in more than all others. [44] They gave out of wealth; she gave out of poverty, everything she had.'”
What a remarkable concept to build a blog on! Although I’d heard the story many times as a regular churchgoer, I never connected the dots myself. I invited Jon to share his story on my finance site, and he graciously agreed.
Just last week, I received Jon’s guest post, and after editing, it’s set to go live this Thursday. I’ll link to it once it’s posted if you’re interested.
Now, here’s where the serendipity comes in. I toyed with the idea of researching what “2 copper coins” actually were, but then got sidetracked and forgot about it.
That evening at my local coin club, I was doing some trading—a highlight of the meetings. I struck an $80 deal with a close friend in the club. I needed to pick $8 more in coins to balance the trade. As I flipped through his coin binder again, a “Widow’s Mite” coin caught my eye.
“How cool is this!” I said. “Is it close to $8.00 in value?”
He replied, “Oh yes, that’s an interesting one. It was my first old coin purchase over 30 years ago. I bought it for $13.00, but it’s yours now. You’ll want to look up its history later.”
After the club ended, I researched my new find. A quick Google search for “Widow’s Mite” revealed:
The story of the widow’s mite appears in the Synoptic Gospels. Jesus, teaching at the Temple in Jerusalem, notes a widow giving two small coins, while wealthier people give larger amounts. He tells his disciples that the widow’s small gift is more significant to God than larger, less sacrificial donations from the wealthy.
Could these be the very 2 copper coins I’d been pondering and then, by chance, acquired in that swap? Probably not the exact coins, but definitely the same type. You never truly know where a coin’s been—imagine if it had belonged to Jesus!
To say I was amazed is an understatement. It felt like a divine nudge to maybe return to church more often, haha.
Here’s a closer look at these coins, known as mites or lepta. Two mites equaled a quadrans, the smallest Roman coin. At that time in Palestine, a lepton was the least valuable coin, worth about six minutes of an average wage.
And there you have it. I now own a coin that might carry some profound history—or perhaps simply a bit of divine coincidence.
