What's the Oldest Coin still accepted?

From any country in the world.

If someone went to pay for something in a store with an ancient coin it would obviously get rejected (and they'd probably get laughed at). How far back in time can we find a coin that is still accepted today in their country.

Perhaps I should rephrase the question to what is considered legal tender. Since some old coins not found in circulation can still be used legally (even though the cashier might not know it). Anyway, I think you all know what I mean.

 

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A lot of cashiers and people in general don't even look at their coins. I recall last year while I was in Colombia I was given a coin from Albania as change. The size and type of metal of the coin was similar to that of the country's 100 peso coins. It is conceivable ancient coins could be used without any problem if no one bothers to really look at them.

In terms of the oldest coin being accepted wherein it is known by the cashier as to what it is, I'd have to say the U.S. and Canada are two of only a small number of countries in the world where 'old' coins are still found and used in circulation. This is due to the size and denomination of coins in these countries not really changing too much since their inception so they are able to blend in and be used without much of an issue. Most other countries have gone through monetary and coinage reforms so older coinage doesn't really circulate in them any more.

I'd say the 19th century is as far back as coins will be accepted at face value from these countries wherein it is known what they are. I've noticed from my experience in traveling it is something of a rarity in most other countries to find coins in circulation that were minted before the 1980's or even the 1990's.

 

My guess would be US small cents, back to 1909, or nickels, maybe back before 1900, just because they are the same size and low value so not given a close look.

Canada would be similar but they recently stopped using the penny.

Switzerland may be a possibility. Their coins haven't changed in a long time, I don't think.

Most if not all other countries have either decimalized or have dropped zeros.

 

Switzerland is an interesting case - many of their designs have not (or hardly) been modified since ~1880. However, quite a few denominations have a different composition and/or edge inscription style these days, and in those cases the older pieces are not legal tender any more. But "canceling old money" occurs in many countries, and is pretty normal even in stable economies ...

Christian

 

When I traveled to Buenos Aires I saw that the oldest coin I found was 1992, ironically, the actual oldest coin was a 1970's USA quarter I found laying on the ground. Probably some american tourist lost it.

 

I would have to say, not to be a homer, but US coins. We are about the only ones who haven't devalued or completely changed sizes of our coinage for a long time. As such, I have found IHCs from the 1880's in circulation. Next might be our friends from the north, with small cents from the 1930's circulating, (when they used cents), and the same with nickels.

 

Canada has pretty old coins in circulation. I found a 1919 canada dime... in America

 

I also have found Indian Head Cents in rolls from the bank. I think U.S. and the Swiss example above are very true.

Basically, you will find that any country will accept "old" currency, esp. those countries that haven't gone through a currency reform, or at least a major withdrawal and demonetization of old designs.

The USA's "Coinage Act of 1965" retroactively made all coins made by the U.S. Mint (since 1793?) legal tender. Correct me if I got that wrong...

 

Switzerland also has the distinction of having the only currency in the world that has actually appreciated against the dollar over the last century.

 

1909 Wheat cent is the oldest coin I have ever found in circulation.

 

I have been to a lot of Asian and European countries. I can say empathetically that none of them have coins or notes nearly as old as US coins in circulation. 1965 is an ancient date for coins in most countries. The US is the world's oldest continuous democracy (technically Republic) with no government-ending wars or disasters. The closest was either the period after independence or the civil war before Gettysburg, but the US held together hence the persistence of old coins.

 

Went to Canada in 2000 and took along some 'old' Canadian coins. Left a tip at a restaurant and the waitress said, "wow, look at those old nickels". She was referring to the 'old' 12-sided ones.
And she really looked surprised by the U.S. $2 bills I left.

 

You can usually tell this just by roll searching and the oldest you found. The oldest coin in change I found was 1913 cent and oldest roll searching was a 1913 Type I nickel.

 

Probably true, but I still do not understand what could be the big deal here. Democratic and stable countries such as the UK or Switzerland have phased out "older" coins, worked and works fine. Now if money gets replaced due to some war or high inflation, and people actually lose money this way, that is bad. Simply saying that this or that type of cash will cease to be legal tender on this date, however, makes sense to me.

Side note: Would I expect my bus or subway ticket that I bought 20 years ago to still be good these days? And credit or debit cards even have built-in expiry dates.

Christian

 

That's one fascinating question, I have to tell you. Let me start by proposing to you a cut-off. I have a 100,000 Ruble note from Azerbaijan, dated 1922, right after the 1917 Soviet Revolution, Lenin, and that whole gang. In 1922, that note couldn't buy you a sack of potatoes, much less a bottle of Vodka. Today, 100,000 Rubles will buy you a block of houses in that country. But not this 100,000 Rubles. Runaway inflation, hard economic times. Governments make adjustments and reorganize for it. They even go so far as to declare the currency and coin not legal tender, anymore. Mexico is a fine recent example of that.

That said, what country has the oldest coin that's still legal tender in that economy at its face value? My answer is simple. I have no freaking idea!!! But, it's a fascinating question. Hope this helps, lol.

 

I find quite a few QEII young head, ie 1964 and before coins in circulation, usually only cents and five cent coins though. In the Netherlands the earliest coin I got in circulation in the pre-Euro era was 1948, in Germany 1949, curiously in the USSR in a Beryoshka store I also got a 1949 dated 50 pfennig when they had no Japanese coinage to give out in change - I was in the then Soviet Far East.

In roll searches I have found a 1913 dated Italian 20 centesimi masquerading as a nickel, and the earliest is a 1907 Panamanian 2 1/2 centesimo also masquerading as a nickel.

 

I agree completely. I feel the lack of change in US coinage is more an example of lack of US leadership than it is something to be proud of. There is no reason in the world that cents still exist, or why the five cent piece isn't a light aluminum coin if still made at all, not to mention the folly of printing $1 notes.....

 

As far as receiving in change back in the day as a teenage automotive fueling specialist (AKA gas pump jockey) I had a couple of regular older customers who would pay me with bust halves (how I caught the fever). Later, after college I went back and asked if they were purposely "priming the pump" to gather more collectors into the fold.

Now, I do the same. I often spend US coins dating back to the 1820s. Although I have had to educate a few cashiers that they were actually money I have never had any of them refused. (other than a single 3 cent nickel).

 

My two cents worth:
1. For US coins, I think the cent is the oldest circulating coin. A local coin club "drops" old coins around town for publicity before their coin show. Indian cents and 1914-Ds were spent at various locations. I get more comments when paying with $2 bills than when I add a few wheat cents into payment.
http://abc13.com/archive/9348690/
2. The Maria Theresa Thaler was originally struck in Austria from 1740 to 1780, by the Austrian Empire for trade with Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and other countries. It became the only silver coin that the Arabs would accept. The MT Thaler is still struck today with the 1780 date. The taler became the unofficial currency in some areas of Africa and Asia, and may still be in use today as a "trade silver dollar".
http://www.theresia.name/en/

 

Probably the USA, since our coins are still legal tender all the way back to the issues of 1793. I don't think there is any other country than hasn't devalued their coins at least once since then. The only other possible contender might be Great Britian. I don't know if they demonitied their older coins when they fially switched to the decimal coinage in 1971. If they didn't you MIGHT still be able to use an old half penny of farthing from before then. On the other hand they did discontinue the farthing in 1956 and the half penny in I believe 1981. Their copper penny on the other hand only goes back to 1797. (Silver pennies go back a lot further. The real question is did they ever demonitize them?)