THE WIDOW'S MITE STORY - that appears in Mark 12: 41-44

Obverse: Upside down anchor within circle, BASILEWS ALE$NDPOY (means of King Alexander) around.
Reverse: Star of eight pellets surrounded by diadem.

The story of this womanis spectacular offering is found in the Bible, Mark 12:41-44. Though she might have contributed any of a number of small copper coins current at that time, a majority of experts choose the copper prutah as the most prominent candidate for her contribution. This coin of the Judaean King Alexander Jannaeus (B. C. 103-76) was issued during the latter portion of his reign, circa B. C. 78. Always crude, it has an anchor on the obverse and a star on the reverse; it is so small it is called a prutah.

Much confusion over the name of this coin has confounded many. Older Bibles call it a "mite". Sometimes it is called a lepton, and its most modern name is a prutah. All these names refer to the same coin.

Copper Prutahs were struck in vast abundance. Without doubt, they were common coins used for daily commerce during the life of Christ, and as quoted from Mark 12: 41-44: "And Jesus sat over against the treasury and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which makes a quadrans. And he called unto his disciples and said to them: "Amen I say to you that this poor widow put in more than all those who have been putting in the treasury. For they have put in abundance, but she out of her want has put in all that she had".