Italian Telephone Tokens - Value and Rarity of Telephone Tokens

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Do you remember the old telephone tokens used to make calls from the Italian public phone booths? On this page, you’ll find all the useful information to understand if the telephone token (gettone telefonico) you own has any value or not.

italian telephone token - gettone telefonico — The Old Italian Telephone Token

If you’ve found a few italian telephone tokens in an old jacket forgotten in the closet, you might have asked yourself: what is the value of these telephone tokens? Did you know that some tokens, if well-preserved, can be worth several hundred euros?

Let’s discover together which of these rare coins have unexpected value.

What is a Token?

A token serves as an object that replaces the function of a coin. For example, the telephone token shown in the photos below consists of copper and was used in public telephone booths and some arcade games.

History of Italian telephone tokens

Stipel, which later became Sip, created the first Italian telephone token for the 1927 Milan Trade Fair. People could only use these tokens inside the fair, and they consisted of nickel, zinc, and copper.

In 1945, “Teti” introduced the first telephone token with three grooves for nationwide use in public phones. The token’s bottom featured four digits showing the year and month of minting.

From 1959 until 1980, all the tokens that remained in circulation until 2001 were minted, the year the euro was introduced. However, it wasn’t the euro that ended the era of italian telephone tokens. Instead, it was prepaid phone cards, which gained popularity in the 1980s due to a scarcity of coins.

What is the Value of a Telephone Token?

The value of telephone tokens, like that of rare coins, can hold some pleasant surprises. Let’s start with some simple questions. Have you ever wondered what the value of a telephone token was in its time?

In 1959, a telephone token had a value equivalent to 30 lire.
In 1964, the value of the token rose to 45 lire.
In 1972, the value increased again to 50 lire.
In 1980, the value doubled to 100 lire.
Finally, in 1984, the value of the telephone token settled at 200 lire and remained until its last use in 2001.

And what is the current value of telephone tokens?

Obviously, the value of a single token, for an expert collector, depends on several factors including preservation, condition, and year of minting. Let’s see if there are any rare and valuable telephone tokens.

Determining the value of a telephone token is never easy because they are not typical rare coins. As we have seen, during their minting periods, telephone tokens had a value ranging between 30 and 200 lire in the 1980s. Today, the minimum value of a token is about 1 euro. This value can increase significantly depending on specific conditions, which we will analyze below.

How much are rare italian telephone tokens worth: how to identify it

As mentioned above, telephone tokens have some numbers or codes on one side. These numbers are key identifiers to distinguish one token from another and are the starting point for determining its value. For an expert, retrieving all the information on a specific token is not difficult, using an updated catalog listing all the codes on tokens.

The 1927 STIPEL Telephone Token

italian telephone token - gettone telefonico STIPEL — The First Telephone Token

This is the first token minted and therefore a piece of considerable value. The value of the 1927 telephone token is approximately 60/85 euros, depending on its condition.

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Value of Telephone Token 7809

italian telephone token - gettone telefonico 7809 — The 7809 Telephone Token

This is a fairly common token but still has a higher-than-average value. The 7809 token from 1978, if in excellent condition, is worth between 5 and 15 euros.

Value of Telephone Token 7607

It is unfortunately difficult to estimate with certainty the value of the 7607 telephone token. This particular piece is not among the most valuable italian telephone tokens, but if kept in good condition, it can fetch between 10 and 30 euros.

Value of Telephone Token 7905

The 7905 token from 1979 attracts considerable interest from collectors and holds a value of approximately 15 euros if in excellent condition.

Other rare and noteworthy telephone tokens.

As mentioned earlier, the majority of telephone tokens are worth about 1 euro. Those that stand out are cited above and can reach values of 10-30 euros. Some telephone tokens, however, can exceed this value. Below are their codes for easy reference: