What are the oldest copper coins?

1jester

Just curious. It seems that we don't see copper coins older than from the 16th century, except for Roman coins which were alloyed with silver if I'm not mistaken. Is copper not as durable as silver, long term? How come we don't see copper from medieval times? They just didn't mint copper coins? And if so, why not?

newsman

I have a couple of Islamic copper coins from the Abbasid era, which was around the 9th and 10th centuries, so they go back that far.

spoon

Indian coins were made in copper, not alloyed, up to/over 2000 yrs ago.. they were more the square sort of coins with numerous punches from what I've seen (online, forgot where).

coachleonard

As spoon said, probably the ancient copper coins of India are the oldest coppers-- as opposed to Roman and Greek bronze. Copper coins didn't really flower in Europe until around the mid 1500's or so (places like Spain, France, Netherlands, Italy). Still, Italy came up with a copper coin in the mid-1400's-- might have been the first European copper coin of the medieval era. It featured a crowned bust of some ruler on the front, the ruler on horseback on the reverse.

coachleonard

P.S-- as to why copper coins were rarely struck in the middle ages, my guess is maybe it was just a general distrust of any coinage without at least some silver in it? Or maybe it was a copper supply problem-- not sure. Even Great Britain was reluctant to strike official royal copper coins until the late 1600's.

1jester

I don't know what was the reason for the lack of copper coinage in medieval Europe. I do have a few copper coins from Liege, Belgium from the mid to late 1500s, and that's much earlier than my next copper coins, which are small Polish boratynki from the 1660s.

sumnom

We need to think outside the box here for a moment. Copper coins go way, way back in China, at least 2000 years.

1jester

Of course, you're right, Sumnom. I guess I was just thinking of Europe.

Shipcoin

Interesting question, Mike! I checked it in my book about early copper coins and found, that except ancient coins, that you have mentioned (not exactly cooper , but bronze and other alloys) there were for example Sogdian States (contemporary terr. of Uzbekistan and Tadjikistan) copper coins--- VI century; and Some Chinese States ( Chzyrchzen dynasty) copper coins XI-XII centuries.