We don’t normally associate the Swiss Mint with the weird and unusual when it comes to new coins, but their latest effort certainly fits that description. A look at the image here shows a simple depiction of one of Albert Einstein’s most iconic photographs. Nothing unusual there. But what if we told you it can’t be seen unaided by the human eye?

In what is an extreme example of the minting art, the Swiss Mint have struck a fine gold coin of an infinitesimal 0.063 grams. That’s 1/500th of an ounce! To put that in further perspective, it’s barely one-ninth the size of a 0.5g minigold coin, which is itself less than one-sixtieth the weight of a 1oz gold Maple, for example. The diameter of this tiny coin is just 2.96 mm. You literally could fit this through the eye of a needle!

It is actually so small that the mint has designed a special magnifying box with an inbuilt light to present it in. Rather than listen to me try to describe it, check out the fascinating video. A great start to the year, we love oddities like this and the mint that basically just told itself ‘why not?’ Officially on sale today, it’s already listed as sold out, so be prepared to dig deeper than the issue price of 199 CHF if you want one on the aftermarket.

MINTS DESCRIPTION: The obverse of the smallest coin therefore features the famous image of Albert Einstein sticking out his tongue, and the year date 2020. The reverse shows the nominal value of 1/4 franc together with the inscription “Helvetia” and the Swiss cross, supplemented by the alloy mark “AU 999.9” and the weight (1/500 ounce)