Telephone Token – The Value of Telephone Tokens

A token is an object used to replace the function of a coin. For example, the telephone token in the photo is made of copper and was used for public telephone booths and some video games in arcades.

The first telephone token in Italy was produced by Stipel, which later became Sip, for the Milan Trade Fair in 1927. These tokens could only be used within the fair. The materials used were nickel, zinc, and copper.

In 1945, “Teti” created the first telephone token with three grooves that could be used to make calls from public phones in the area. On one side of the token, at the bottom, four digits were printed indicating the year and month of minting.

From 1959 until 1980, all tokens were minted that remained in circulation until 2001, the year of the euro's introduction. However, it was not the euro that caused the end of telephone tokens. Instead, it was the prepaid phone cards that became widespread in the 1980s due to the scarcity of coins.

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 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 was set at 200 lire and was maintained until its last date of use, 2001.

And what is the current value of the telephone token?

Of course, the value of a single token, for an experienced collector, will depend on several factors including preservation, condition, and year of minting. Let's see together if there are rare and valuable telephone tokens.

Evaluating a telephone token is never easy as they are not normal rare coins. As we have seen, during the minting periods, a telephone token had a value that fluctuated between 30 and 200 lire in the 1980s. Nowadays, the minimum value of a token is about 1 euro. This value can significantly increase depending on specific conditions that we will analyze.

As explained above, telephone tokens have some digits or initials on one side. These digits are the key to distinguishing one token from another and are the starting point for determining its value. For an expert, it will not be difficult to retrieve all the information about a specific token by consulting an updated catalog that lists all the digits present on the tokens.

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 the condition.

This is a fairly common token but still has a value above average. The token with the code 7809 from the year 1978, if in excellent condition, is worth between 5 and 15 euros.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to estimate with absolute certainty the value of the telephone token 7607. This particular specimen is not part of the very high-value telephone tokens, but undoubtedly if kept in good condition it can yield its owner between 10 and 30 Euros.

The token with code 7905 from the year 1979 is quite sought after by collectors and is valued at about 15 euros if in excellent condition.

As mentioned earlier, the majority of phone tokens have a value of around 1 euro. Those that stand out are listed above and can reach values of 10 – 30 euros. However, some phone tokens can exceed this value, and below we list the codes for easy reference:

• Phone tokens code 7803 > 20 euros
• Phone tokens code 7704 > 50 euros
• Phone tokens code 7502 > 10 euros
• Phone tokens code 7412 > 50 euros
• Phone token code 7706 > 12 euros
• Phone tokens code 8011 > 15 euros
• Phone tokens code 7901 > 18 euros
• Phone token code 7304 > 60 euros
• Phone tokens code 7110 > 70 euros
• Phone tokens code 6504 > 45 euros

In some cases, minting defects or particularities can increase the value of a single token by up to 10 times.

Didn't find what you were looking for? Check out these topics on the lira:

• Here you can learn everything about the 1 lira, 2 lire, 5 lire, rare 10 lire, 20 lire, and 50 lire.
• The 10 centesimi of lira are here, the 20 centesimi are here, and here are the rare 50 centesimi of lira.
• If you're looking for the 1 centesimo of lira, look here and here for the rare 2 centesimi of lira and the 5 centesimi of lira.
• If you want info about the 100 lire and their value, you can find it here, as well as that of the 1000 Lire of the Italian Republic.
• We have discussed the 200 lire and their value here.
• We talked about the Phone Tokens that were worth 200 lire on this page.
• We also discussed the 500 silver lire, the 500 bimetallic lire, and the 500 paper lire
  
• For German-speaking collectors, we have created a dedicated version of the catalog of rare coins found here “MoneteRare Deutschland”.