What is your oldest coin?

1856 Flying Eagle in AU.............................I wish. My oldest is a '57 in VF. Thx

 

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1827 Bust half

 

i have some old roman coins, but i have no idea when they were used.

i do have an 1888 indianhead penny though

 

I recently picked up an ancient Greek mini silver coin minted in Ionia Kolophon? around 525-490 BC. It has the head of Apollo on the obverse and an incuse puchmark with the letters TE on the reverse.

 

I had no idea coins were collected before 1999. Wow.

 

Skatdoot,
If you have a 1999 silver proof set,I'll trade you even..hehe

 

I jave a few romans and a 1797 large cent

 

350 B.C. PGS certified

picked this up in group of coins I was looking for. Ancient Greece c.350 B.C. Alexander the Great Coin circulated in his lifetime PGS Certified. Thats all the holder says, no picture

 

1832 Classic Head Half Cent in F-12 condition.

 

thats awesome. i'm a big fan of alexander

 

an 1859 indian head cent in fine

 

Pre US Mint auth (before April 2, 1792): (2) 1787 New Jersey coppers
Post US Mint auth: 1799 Silver dollar

 

A Tetramorion or 1/4 obol, if I remember correctly with TH being 3/4 of an obol. These are perhaps the earliest coins to have their value stamped on them. The small size made it difficult to tell one fraction from another without weighing, so they put the letters TE, TH, etc., on the coins.

Also, this coin is Archaic, being before 480 BC.

Apollo was the patron god of the town. Kolophon had been a temple to Apollo even in Helliadic times between the fall of Crete and the rise of Greece. As late as Roman times, people came to the cult cave for enlightenment.

Kolophon in the 6th c. BC was known for its cavalry, which, when hired for battle invariably brought victory.

I can tell you more than you would ever care to know.

Main Author: Marotta, Michael E.
Title: Kolophon : a quiet place to raise a family / by Michael E. Marotta.
Note: Includes bibliographical references.
Subject Info: Greece Kolophon
In: The Celator Vol. 11, No. 8, August, 1997, p. 32-35 : ill

 

Purple and Conquered the World

If PCGS says so, that's good enough for me. With the Alexander movie there is even more interest in these coins. Alexander in ancient times was better known than Caesar and many Caesars sought to emulate Alexander. Commodus appeared in the circus as "Hercules" i.e., as Alexander and Gessius Bassianus Alexianus, when he became emporer, called himself Alexander -- written out or abbreviated ALEXAND -- whereas his coins may or may not call him Septimus, Marcus Aurelius, or Severus, and those are abbreviated to only three letters. The point being that he wanted himself identified with Alexander in the eyes of the people of his empire. Alexander the Great was made the 13th God of Olympus by the Roman senate.

Alexander the Great was worshipped as a god in his own lifetime, a practice he encouraged -- or failed to discourage, or whatever you choose to believe.

The one fact we can agree on: He conquered the world -- or at least the Persian fraction of it -- before he was 30.

(Much more than you probably wanted to know already, but there is still more...
Main Author: Marotta, Michael E.
Title: Portraits and representations of Alexander the Great.
In: The Celator, Vol. 16, no. 7 (July 2002), p. 6-20 : ill. )

 

Nit picking mode engaged.

The 1/4 obol coin of Kolophon is generally called a tetartemorion. The archaic type (525 bc - 490 bc) has Apollo facing. The type with Apollo bust to the right is generally dated from 490 bc - 400 bc.

Here's one I recently bought which has been dated to between 430 bc - 400 bc and attributed (by the seller) as being SG4345v, SNG Cop 140v.

 

i have 2 old roman coins. - But, i dont know what year, and besides, this is the US Coin forum.

So, my oldest would be an 1864 Indian Head Penny

 

1802 Drape Bust Cent. Not in the best of shape, but I love the history it represents.

 

Pick, pick, pick ...

Welcome back, Ian! I missed you.

Speaking of nits to be picked, as noted, this is the US coin forum, but the original question did not limit the topic. I mean, they did not rule out pre-Federal coins, and, well, it just sort of drifted from there, for which I am apologetic.

 

So, your aim is as bad as ever then Mike?

I think that if you are in the US and your earliest coin originates from elsewhere, you have a bona fide reason for talking about it surely? As for me, well I have no such excuse. Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa. So i'll shut up now. Mind you, I do have a 1725 French silver jeton that was issued specifically for use in the French American colonies .....would that count do you think? It is certainly what you aptly describe as being `pre-federal'.

 

1878 S Trade dollar