It’s impossible to think about living today without any form of currency, no matter where you reside in the world. It’s a no-brainer that currency is present in every country, whether it’s their own or an adopted form of currency.
But are you aware of the oldest currencies in the world which are still in use? If not, then read on as we unfold the same.
World’s Oldest Currencies Which Are Still In Use
British pound
Introduced: c.800
Users: United Kingdom + 9 British territories
Symbol: £
The pound is the world’s oldest currency still in use.
Macanese Pataca
Introduced: 1894
Users: Macao (Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China – MSAR)
Symbol: MOP$
The Macao pataca is the official currency of Macao (MSAR), backed by the Hong Kong dollar. Macanese pataca replaced the Spanish American silver dollar in 1894 in former Portuguese Macau, a Portuguese colony from 1557 to 1999 when the Republic of China took over the sovereignty.
Japanese yen
Introduced: 1871
Users: Japan
Symbol: ¥
The third most-traded currency in the foreign exchange is the Japanese yen, the official currency of Japan. The yen was introduced 151 years ago in The New Currency Act of 1871.
Dominican peso
Introduced: 1844
Users: Dominican Republic
Symbol: $, RD$
The Dominican peso has been the official currency of the Dominican Republic since 2011, but it was introduced in 1844 when the Dominican Republic took back its sovereignty from Haiti.
Falkland Islands pound
Introduced: 1833
Users: Falkland Islands
Symbol: £
The pound is the official currency of Great Britain and the British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean, the Falkland Islands. The Islands had used sterling, the pound, and the penny since 1833.
Haitian gourde
Introduced: 1813
Users: Republic of Haiti
Symbol: G
The official currency of the Republic of Haiti is goud or gourde, a French word that means “hard pieces of eight,” a cognate to the Spanish term “gordo” for something fat.
United States dollar
Introduced: 1792
Users: United States, Cambodia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama, Zimbabwe, Puerto Rico, Somalia
Symbol: $
The United States dollar was introduced on April 2, 1792, when the US Congress passed the Coinage Act and switched from continental currency and pound sterling to the dollar.
Serbian dinar
Introduced: 1214
Users: Serbia
Symbol: din/RSD
Serbian dinar, the official currency of the Balkan state Serbia, has been in circulation since the reign of King Stefan Nemanjić in 1214 as a Medieval dinar. The first modern dinar came after the Ottoman conquest when Prince Miloš Obrenović pushed for the first coins to be minted in 1868.
Russian ruble
Introduced: c.13th century
Users: Russia
Symbol: ₽
As the name suggests, the Russian ruble is the currency of the Russian Federation, the second oldest currency worldwide. It was introduced in the 13th century, but it has been through various revaluations until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1992 when the Soviet ruble became the Russian ruble.
Also Read: Did You Know Why RBI’s First Governor Never Signed Any Currency Note
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