Oldest known coin?

That must be what he meant. Though not many people around here have legit Morgan patterns, outside of modern fantasies, so... ?

 

The legitimate Morgan patterns from the 19th century are indeed elusive and expensive. Like four-figure expensive, if not five- or maybe even six-figures in a few cases.

There are a number of modern fantasies which mimic the old Morgan "Schoolgirl" and other designs which are far more affordable. But if you had one of those dated “1875”, you couldn't claim it as really being from 1875, let alone the "oldest known" coin.

I challenge anyone to show me a legitimate 19th century US pattern coin (i.e., recognized in the Judd reference) that could be acquired for less than four figures. Not counting private pattern stuff like the Feuchtwanger issues, which are considered more tokens than patterns nowadays.

With World coins, on the other hand, patterns can be much more affordable.

 

Ah yes. I forgot to take into account stuff like those IHC patterns and/or impaired/circulated pieces.

 

I believe that would be a Samian silver tetradrachm struck in Zankle and dated 494 BC. However, it needs to be understood that the date is written and symbolized by the letter A. That's it, there are no actual numbers on the coin - just the the letter A which symbolizes that year. Now unless you knew that that letter A stands for the number 1 in that civilization at that particular time, and that year 1 translates as 494 BC in our civilization today - you would never know the coin even had a date on it.

Now if one of the ancient guys wants so speak up, he can correct me if he knows of a different answer.

And that may well be true - depending upon how one wishes to define "dated", as I explained in my post #10. What I'm trying to tell you is, there would be no actual date on the coin. But the coin could easily be dated to that time period of 4000 years ago by it design diagnostics. You couldn't pin down an actual single year, but you could pin down a date range - 2000 BC to 1998 BC for example. That would make the coin 4000 years old.

The vast majority of the time they didn't put dates on them. The date range of a coin was identified by it's design.

Take this coin for example.




I can tell you with certainty that this coin was minted in 1364, in the Netherlands, but there is not a single number, or a letter, or any design that signifies a number, anywhere on the coin. I can identify the date of that coin by its design itself.

Now I believe there were some few examples of coins with either Roman numerals and or Greek numerals on them that was a date that was older than the 1234 Denmark coin that's been described already. But I cannot recall exactly which coins they are of the top of my head as that field of numismatics is not my forte.

 

Yeah, there are lots and lots of coins older than 494 BC - but they don't have dates on them ! The one I mentioned from 494 BC does have a date on it ! That is what makes it different.

 

Doug, you really should show off more often. I quite like it when you do.

 

@tibor, you know I like it when you show and tell, too.

BTW, I’ll be working all day at WNC Coins in Asheville again today, as an unpaid volunteer assistant (fly on the wall, really). Came to NC for my cousin’s untimely funeral yesterday, but now that that sad family obligation is fulfilled, I’ve got one day left over to hang with my NC coin buddies in person. The last time I got to do this (or have any in-person numismatic fellowship) was pre-COVID, two years ago, when I was at the same shop and you bought me lunch in that Korean restaurant next door. That was fun. I’m looking forward to today. It will be a bright spot in an otherwise sad and sudden trip.

 

I didn't know I was showing off Rob, certainly not my intention in any event. But I appreciate the compliment.

 

‘Twas meant as a figure of speech, as in “show and tell” rather than in the boastful connotation.