Final coin

The final coin is the coin from an archaeological find to which the latest date of first minting can be assigned. Closing coins are useful in the absolute dating of archaeological sites.

In contrast to many other artifacts, the period of manufacture of coins is often quite precisely known. If a coin is part of an archaeological find, the date of its first minting provides the earliest possible point in time ( terminus post quem ) for the age of the find. If several different coins are found, the one with the latest date of the first minting - the final coin - offers the most extensive restriction of the age (see coin dating ).

literature

• Maria Radnoti-Alföldi : Ancient Numismatics. Part 1: Theory and Practice (= cultural history of the ancient world . Volume 2). Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 1978, ISBN 3-8053-0230-4 , pp. 58-60.