Front: “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” (Seneca)
Back: “We are disturbed not by what happens to us, but by our thoughts about what happens.”
At a glance
- Theme: worry and overthinking: getting back to what is real
- Good for: anxiety, sleepless nights, exams, interviews, flights, waiting for news
- Gift for: an overthinker, a student before exams, a son or daughter starting something new
- Finishes: Antique Bronze (brass alloy), Antique Silver (brass alloy), Antique Copper (solid copper)
- Size: 39 mm, about 1 oz, die struck in the USA
The meaning
Seneca, the Roman Stoic, wrote to his friend Lucilius that we suffer more often in imagination than in reality. Most of the disasters we rehearse in our heads never happen. The back of the coin adds the idea Epictetus taught: what disturbs us is not the event itself but the story we tell ourselves about it.
That makes this a true worry coin. When your mind starts running the worst case, you hold the coin, read the line and ask: is this happening, or am I imagining it?
The design
The front shows a portrait of Seneca with his name and dates, 4 BCE to 65 CE, and the quote around the edge. The back sets the second quote in rings around a small flame at the center, like ripples on still water.
On good days and hard days
- On good days, it helps you enjoy the present instead of rehearsing problems that may never come.
- On hard days, when worry and overthinking take over, it reminds you that we suffer more often in imagination than in reality. Ask: is this real?
Carry it
Keep it in the pocket you reach into when you are nervous. Rubbing a coin with your thumb is an old way to calm busy hands, and this one gives your mind something useful to read at the same time. Customers carry it daily. One, an Army veteran of 21 years who knows a good coin, bought it for their son to help him focus.
Give it
It is a gentle gift for someone who worries: a student before finals, a friend waiting on test results, a parent who lies awake. It doesn't tell them to stop worrying. It gives them something to hold and a better question to ask.
Specs
- Diameter: 1.54 in (39 mm), about the size of a silver dollar
- Thickness: 2.7 mm
- Weight: about 1 oz (28 g)
- Material: brass alloy (Antique Bronze, Antique Silver) or solid copper (Antique Copper)
- Made: die struck, minted in the USA
- Each coin is antiqued with a special patina so it looks like it has already been in circulation. The patina never settles the same way twice, so no two coins look exactly alike. Small variations in color and shading are normal, and they are what make your coin one of a kind.
Questions
What is a worry coin?
A small coin you carry and rub with your thumb when you feel anxious. This one adds Seneca's reminder that most of what we fear only happens in our heads.
Did Seneca say “we suffer more often in imagination than in reality”?
Yes. It comes from his Letters to Lucilius, Letter 13.
What is a good gift for someone with anxiety?
Something small and calming they can keep in a pocket. The Seneca Coin is our most popular coin for worriers and overthinkers.
Other coins you might like
- This Too Shall Pass Coin: for emotional waves and hard seasons
- Marcus Aurelius Coin: control what you can
- Inner Citadel Coin: a calm place inside
- The Obstacle Path Coin: when the problem becomes the way
For keys: Seneca Key Tag.
Care: keep it dry and wipe it with a soft cloth. No polishing needed; the aged finish is part of the look.
Original design by EDC Reminder Coins, protected by copyright. We don't take custom orders.