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Lepton

Greek λεπτόν. Literally "a thin one". Also called Mite, Lepta, Widow's mite.

The smallest coin in circulation — the widow put in two of them, and was told she had given more than anyone.

Wage
about 6 minutes' work (about 6 minutes' work). Reckoned from two to the quadrans.
Diameter
1.3–1.5 cm (0.512–0.591 in). Reckoned from surviving star-and-anchor lepta of Alexander Jannaeus, the coin usually identified as the widow's mite.

A lepton is the smallest coin anybody handled: two of them made a quadrans, which was a quarter of the cheapest copper coin, which was a sixteenth of a day's wage. The whole force of the scene in the treasury is that the sum is negligible by every measure except the one being applied — she gave two, and could have kept one.

The coins of the gospels, at true size The coins the New Testament names, drawn at their true size, each with the size of surviving examples and what it bought: the lepton, the widow's mite; the quadrans; the assarion; the denarius, a day's wage; the drachma; the didrachma, the half-shekel of the temple tax; and the stater, the shekel of Tyre. A US dime, penny and quarter are drawn beside them to the same scale. a lepton1.3–1.5 cmabout 6 minutes' worka quadrans1.6–1.9 cmabout 11 minutes' workan assarion1.6–2.2 cmabout 45 minutes' worka denarius1.7–1.9 cm1 day's wagea drachma1.5–1.8 cm1 day's wagea didrachma1.9–2.1 cm2 days' wagesa stater2.6–2.8 cm4 days' wagesa dimea pennya quarterUS coins, for size:the same scale
Sizes are the range of surviving examples, and coins of one name varied from mint to mint. Bronze paid for small things and silver for wages and taxes: the widow gave two lepta (Mark 12:42), the temple tax was a didrachma (Matthew 17:24), and a stater paid it for two (17:27).

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