Front: “Temperance · Wisdom · Courage · Justice” · “The Cardinal Virtues”
Back: “Summum Bonum” (the highest good)
At a glance
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Theme: character, with the four virtues as a daily checklist
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Good for: a new role, raising kids, coaching, hard decisions
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Gift for: a coach or teacher, a graduate, a son or daughter leaving home, a reader of the Stoics
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Finishes: Antique Silver (brass alloy), Antique Bronze (brass alloy), Antique Copper (solid copper)
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Size: 39 mm, about 1 oz, die struck in the USA
The meaning
The Stoics held that virtue is the only true good, and they named four: wisdom, to know what matters; courage, to act on it when it is hard; justice, to treat people fairly; temperance, to keep yourself in check. Plato listed the same four, and later writers called them the cardinal virtues, from the Latin cardo, a hinge, because everything else turns on them.
Summum bonum means the highest good. Cicero wrote a whole book on what it might be. For the Stoics the answer was clear: a life lived with virtue. Money, comfort and reputation all come second.
The design
The front sets the four virtues like the arms of a cross, each with its own emblem, around a small flame and the words the cardinal virtues, inside a Greek key border. The back shows a cracked marble bust of a bearded philosopher with a sprig of leaves, and Summum Bonum above and below.
On good days and hard days
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On good days, it keeps you honest about how you won: with wisdom, courage, justice and temperance.
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On hard days, when a choice is hard, it gives you a checklist that never fails: which of the four virtues does this moment need?
Carry it
Use it as a checklist. Before a hard call, turn it in your hand and ask which of the four the moment needs. One customer says it reminds them every day of the four truths. Others carry it every day alongside their other Stoic coins.
Give it
One customer gives them as graduation gifts to students who have shown the virtues. A parent gave one to their son as he left for the military, so he would carry a piece of guidance from home. It also suits coaches, mentors and new managers.
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 Silver, Antique Bronze) 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 are the four Stoic virtues?
Wisdom, courage, justice and temperance. The Stoics saw them as the only things good in themselves.
What does summum bonum mean?
“The highest good”: the final goal of a good life. For the Stoics, that goal was living with virtue.
What is a good gift for a coach or teacher?
Something that honors how they shape character. The four virtues are a lesson they can keep teaching every time they see the coin.
Other Stoic coins
For keys: Stoic Virtues 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.
