What are the oldest coins that have a date?
jmski52
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I’m becoming intrigued with the idea of collecting some of the oldest coins that carry an actual date stamped on the coin. Can you suggest some candidates?
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It does depend on what you mean by "actual date".
If you mean the AD calendar date, then the answer is simple: the oldest-AD-dated coin is from Roskilde, Denmark, dated MCCXXXIIII (1234).
If other calendars are acceptable, then we can go much further back. Coins with Islamic calendar dates can go back to almost the beginning of the Islamimc calendar, Year 35 (= AD 622).
Other calendars go further back. The Saka Era is an Indian calendar where Year 1 is AD 78, and coins can be found from Year 100 (AD 178).
There are coins in the Greek and Roman series that "bear dates", but they are mostly dates referencing the regnal year of the ruler, so aren't truly "calendar" dates.
The only Roman exception is the Anno Urbis Conditae calendar where Year 1 was the quasi-mythical founding of Rome in 753 BC. However, most Roman coins don't use AUC dates; a very scarce coin of usurper emperor Patacian celebrates the Roman millenium in AUC 1001 (AD 248). The Roman Republic "named" their years after the Consuls that served in those years, rather than numbered them, and the Roman Empire used the regnal years of the emperor.
There are a couple of "founding of the dynasty" calendars in the Greek series (similar to the Saka calendar); the founding of the Seleucid Era in 311 BC comes to mind. This was used on coins beginning in SE 163 (150 BC). I believe this is "the oldest calendar date" you can find on coins.
Regnal year and "new era" dates can be found older. The "Guinness Book of Records" answer to "the oldest coin with a date on it" is a coin from Zankle (now known as Messina, on Sicily), dated Year 1 of the Occupation of the city by forces from Samos, which would convert to 494 BC. Though on coins this old, there could easily be debate as to whether the letter "A" on these coins is supposed to represent the number 1, or have some other arcane meaning.
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD.
Here is some more information. Alfonso VIII (1158-1214) issued many types of billon dineros and obolos, including the one type dated ERA MCCIIII . These rare billon coins dated 1204 in the Era of Safar, commemorate the restoration of Alfonso VIII to the throne of Castile, and mark the end of the regency of his uncle Fernando II of Leon” (my translation). These are rare and unpriced. I think a few have been sold recently. To quote Sean Breazeal from his forum: http://www.medievalcoinage.com/index.htm
Probably the earliest European dated coins of all are Spanish coins minted by Alfonso VIII in imitation of the Moorish coins whose issuers were slowly being driven out of the Iberian peninsula. They are dated using the contemporary Spanish or Caesar Era, sometimes referenced as the Es-Safar, calendar system used in Spain at the time which dates 38 BC as its year 1. A few types are known. One is a series of gold dinars dated from 1223 through 1255 SE (1183-1217 AD), two others are an obol and a denier of 1204 SE (1166 AD). In January 2007 CNG sold the first confirmed 1204 Spanish Era dated denier, all previous dated examples being oboles. These latter two coins are probably the first coins on the European continent to have ANY date written with Roman numerals MCCIIII, the dinars have the date written out as Arabic words rather than numerals (such as writing "Two Thousand Seven" on a modern coin instead of 2007). Here are two from my collection.
The date is on the left image: ERA M C C I I I I . Less than 10 known, 5 in museums and 5 for collectors to fight over.
Once again the date is on the left, starting at 8 o'clock. ERA MCCIIII. Less than 8 known, 4 in museums, 4 for collectors.
I hope this helps. I'm very fortunate to own the 2 that i do. Two of the trophies of my collection.
Well, the Greek and Roman coins should also qualify as "European". I believe the "first coins on the European continent to have ANY date written with Roman numerals" would be the extremely scarce (and valuable) gold aureus of emperor Hadrian, dated "ANN DCCCLXXIIII NAT VRB", Year 874 AUC or AD 121: https://www.wildwinds.com/coins/sear5/s3384.html
That Wildwinds example sold for $39,000 back in 2004.
And if the OP is only interested in coins with AD dates on them, there is a book on the subject: The Early Dated Coins of Europe 1234-1500 by Levinson, a comprehensive listing of every coin up to 1500 that bears an AD date. https://www.amazon.com.au/Early-Dated-Coins-Europe-1234-1500/dp/0871846004
The only AD-dated coins not listed in that book are those that weren't struck in Europe: the Crusader coins struck in Acre in the 1250s, written in Arabic and made in the style of Islamic coinage but with Christian inscriptions and dating replacing the Islamic ones. Again, not common and not cheap. https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/78995 and this one sold recently for 12000 euros: https://www.ma-shops.com/thomasnumismatics/item.php?id=1419
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD.
The oldest AD-dated coin in my collection is this goldgulden from Nuernberg dated 1507:
1775 4 reales (from mexico i belive) (crs flared up tis am)
These are the first two silver Anno Domini dated coins. Roman numerals.
These are the first Anno Domini dated gold coins. Again, Roman numerals.
The second coin is one of only 3 available to collectors.
Here’s mine. After the 1234 Danish coin this is the earliest AD date. “1251” is written in Arabic script.
Gobrecht's Engraved Mature Head Large Cent Model
https://www.instagram.com/rexrarities/?hl=en
This is the first Anno Domini dated copper coin.
Date on right image between 10 and 12 o'clock. Modern Arabic/positional date.
Thank you, fellas. I was hoping to see coins like these, and I'm blown away!
I knew it would happen.
Some interesting trivia about those Crusader-Arabic coins.
In standard Arabic, numbers are written "backwards" compared to western numbers. In Arabic, the number 1251 ought to be written "one and fifty and two hundred and one thousand". But on these coins, the date structure is mixed up: "one thousand and two hundred and one and fifty". It's evidence that, though at least some of the Crusaders could understand Arabic, they're not fully familiar with all the linguistic rules and standards.
Finally, we have their reception. While the Pope was pleased that the Crusaders had stopped making blasphemous Islamic imitations, the coins were much less popular in the places where it mattered: the surrounding Muslim lands that traded with the Crusader state. While they had previously tolerated the imitation-Islamic coins issued by the crusaders, a good Muslim would have likely refused a coin covered in heresies such as the Trinity. Rumours spread that these Christian coins were made from poor quality gold and silver. So, a few years after the Papal legates went back to Italy, the crusaders quietly dropped these unique AD-dated coins and reverted to making counterfeit Islamic coins again.
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD.
You'll also notice that on this coin, and on most other dated coins from the 1400s, the numeral "4" hasn't quite evolved into it's modern form; it's kind-of written at a 45 degree angle, and looks kind-of like a modern remembrance ribbon.
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD.
I was not surprised to see @tibor dominating this thread.
Here’s my sole relevant contribution: a 1495 Frankfurt goldgulden with that curious little curlicue that is the late-medieval “4” numeral.
If nobody else already recommended it above, let me point out the Levinson book on early dated European coins:
https://www.amazon.com/Early-Dated-Coins-Europe-1234-1500/dp/0871846004
Edit- aha. Someone already did. Good.
@Sapyx
"The only AD-dated coins not listed in that book are those that weren't struck in Europe: the Crusader coins struck in Acre in the 1250s, written in Arabic and made in the style of Islamic coinage but with Christian inscriptions and dating replacing the Islamic ones. Again, not common and not cheap. https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/78995 and this one sold recently for 12000 euros: https://www.ma-shops.com/thomasnumismatics/item.php?id=1419"
I believe all of the scholarship that you shared here is in Robert Levinson's book.
Appendix 6, Pg. 307.
Is that a bad thing?
I'm BACK!!! Used to be Billet7 on the old forum.
I believe that although in Arabic numbers are written backwards (starting with the smallest unit), the language is also written 'backwards' from right to left, which means numbers come out the 'western' way.
The sequence is often apparently muddled on other Arabic coins, such as those of the Golden Horde. As far as I can work out, this could be due to regional differences in how the numbers are spoken. You find coins with the dates written in both words and numbers, and as in your example, each part is written in a different way. Some dialects read numbers in the western direction except the last two digits. So, 1256 would be one-thousand-and-two-hundred-and-six-and-fifty. The result looks muddled but may be as intended. A western equivalent of regional numbering differences would be saying "22 August 2024" in the UK but "August 22, 2024" in the US.
@SimonW No not at all.
Incidentally, one of the aforementioned 1251 Dirhams is coming up in Stack’s Bowers: http://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-1CGBFK
Gobrecht's Engraved Mature Head Large Cent Model
https://www.instagram.com/rexrarities/?hl=en
There's the "Eid Mar" denarius of Brutus, celebrating the assassination of Julius Caesar.
Eid Mar translates to the Ides of March, or March 15th.
Also, many coins of Judea have the year marked in Hebrew.
Steve