Dates on Coins - First Coins to Have Dates
1630Boston
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It is possible to write volumes about dates on coins, including differentiating between the various systems that were developed to mark the passage of time. With this in mind, let’s consider some of the first coins with dates without getting bogged down with too much detail.
According to The Guinness Book of World Records, a Samian Silver Tetradrachm struck in Zankle (modern-day Messina) in Sicily is the earliest coin with a date. It is dated year 1 (viz 494 BC) in the form of the letter ‘A’ at one end.
The same record reference book lists a Silver Penning (penny, pfenning, denier, denar) as the earliest Christian Era or AD dated coin. This coin was struck and/or issued by the Bishop of Roskilde, Denmark.
This silver coin features a bishop’s hat on the reverse and a crown on the obverse. It also includes the legends +ANNO DOMINI on the obverse and the AD date MCCXXXIIII (1234) on the reverse. As the earliest European coin with a date, it is without a doubt, one of the most important pieces in European numismatic history.
As a point of interest, Anno Domini (AD) is Medieval Latin for “in the year of the Lord.” AD and BC (before Christ) form part of the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The Gregorian calendar is a refinement of the Julian calendar and the civil calendar most often used in the world today.
Staying in Europe, the Hungary Silver Denar with Madonna and Child (c. 1450-1620), is another coin with date that is well worth a mention. This silver coin, among the first to show a full date, features an image of the Madonna, the Patron Saint of Hungary, holding the baby Jesus (reverse).
The legend “PATRO HVNGA” (“Patron Saint of Hungary”) followed by the full date (year) surround the Madonna and Child image. It is not uncommon to find the date of the flan or obscured - a result of crude coin manufacturing methods used at the time. The obverse features the Hungarian Royal Coat of Arms.
British coins with dates started to appear the first time during the reign of King Edward VII. It became a common occurrence since that time. Before the arrival of dates on British coins, symbols such as anchors and crowns were used. These symbols or marks can be compared to government records in order to establish mintage numbers and the period a coin was issued.
The first coins of the United States – those minted by the United States Mint - were all issued with dates. This practiced rolled over into modern U.S. coinage. U.S. coins without dates are normally coins that are worn, suffer as a result of Mint errors (e.g. U.S. Mint Dollar Error Blank Planchet - Type II No Date) or simply because someone decided to file the dates off
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Comments
@1630Boston ... Thanks for the interesting - and informative - post. I had not even thought about that aspect of coins, just figured they were traceable by date or design. Dating the coins, now, seems not just reasonable, but mandatory.... how times change...Cheers, RickO
Just a slight correction, British coins with dates actually started with Scottish gold ducats in 1539. English coins didn't have dates on them until 1551 during the reign of Edward VI(not VII, he ruled from 1901-1910) Scots during that era were usually a bit ahead of the English with new things like dates, renaissance side and profile portraits on coins etc because of extensive links with the French crown then.
Augustus Caesar in 14 B.C.
By @ColonelJessup
The date on this coin is 1204 SE. The SE or Es-Safar, refers to the Spanish
ERA, a calendar system that Augustus Caesar introduced in 38 B.C. The
coin was made in Toledo, Spain under the rule of Alfonso VIII. The 1204
date translates to 1166A.D.
ERA M CC IIII
TOLETUM (Toledo)
This is the first collectable Dated coin which for the most part coincides
with our calendar system that we use today. Records show there were
coins struck in 1372 and 1373. These are no longer extent. The date on
this piece is in Roman numerals in the left image. Issued by the city of
Aachen and minted at Jungheit. Charlemagne is pictured, he used the
city of Aachen as his capital for a time.
@SoarAlba Dated English pieces started in 1548 with Edward VI. These were
shillings with the date in Roman numerals. The shillings were dated 1548-1551.
The date is in Roman numerals at 10:00 -11:30 on the side that pictures Edward VI.
DISAGREE
This is, while quite droll, of course impossible.
Octavian would have had the date expressed in the Latin "XIV B.C."
I was thinking in Arabic numerals in which case 1551 was the first time they were used. I've always wanted one of the EVII crowns, but so far the sterling shilling is my only acquisition.
So... what’s the reason for putting dates on coins in the first place? Accounting? The possible future need to demonetize them?