Gettone

The gettone was introduced in 1927 by STIPEL and subsequently adopted by other telephone companies.

In this last version, the gettone had the date marked on it in the form of a four digit number at the bottom of the obverse side of the token.

Its use ceased in 2001, coinciding with the upcoming introduction of the euro currency in 2002.

This led to a coin shortage in the market, forcing the circulating use of gettoni, stamps, and bus tickets for small transactions or part exchanges of a larger payment.

[1] Gettoni became so common and so well known that they were considered legal tender, almost always being accepted as payment.