means "token" in
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
. More specifically, the word can be used to refer to the (
telephone token
Telephone tokens were token coins once widely used for making telephone calls from public telephones in place of ordinary coins. They were also sometimes used as a medium of exchange and as a collectible. Telephone tokens were once widely used i ...
), which was used during much of the 20th century in Italian
telephone booth
A telephone booth, telephone kiosk, telephone call box, telephone box or public call box is a tiny structure furnished with a payphone and designed for a telephone user's convenience; typically the user steps into the booth and closes the boot ...
s.
The was introduced in 1927 by STIPEL and subsequently adopted by other telephone companies. The last version of it (as reproduced in the picture below) was produced from 1959 to 1980. In this last version, the had the date marked on it in the form of a four digit number at the bottom of the obverse side of the token. The first two digits represent the year in which the token was minted. The last two digits represent the month. Example: "7805" represents "May 1978". Its use ceased in 2001, coinciding with the upcoming introduction of the
euro
The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...
currency in 2002.
Gettone as means of payment
In the 1970s the value of the metal used in Italian small coins had reached a higher value than the face value. This led to a coin shortage in the market, forcing the circulating use of , stamps, and bus tickets for small transactions or part exchanges of a larger payment.
became so common and so well known that they were considered
legal tender
Legal tender is a form of money that Standard of deferred payment, courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment in court for any monetary debt. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything ...
, almost always being accepted as payment. One was valued 50
lire up to 1980, 100 lire up to 1984, and 200 lire from 1984. The thus became known as a typical Italian item even outside of
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.
See also
*
Telephone token
Telephone tokens were token coins once widely used for making telephone calls from public telephones in place of ordinary coins. They were also sometimes used as a medium of exchange and as a collectible. Telephone tokens were once widely used i ...
*
Jeton
Jetons or jettons are tokens or coin-like medals produced across Europe from the 13th through the 18th centuries. They were produced as counters for use in calculation on a counting board, a lined board similar to an abacus. Jetons for calcul ...
*
References
External links
Picture of the gettone telefonico
Token coins
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