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ΑΕΤΕ telephone coin
Telephone copper coin for use in shared coin payphone. The coin sports two notches on one side and one notch on the other, as well as the AETE logo. It corresponded to one telephone conversation without specified time. There was no provision for long-distance calls from a shared payphone because the telephone network was not automatised. The reason for which telephone coins were used instead of currency coins is that the price for a phone call could change without requiring changes to the payphone, since telephone coins were usually sold at kiosk at a cost defined by the telecommunications service provider. In addition, telephone coins were more difficult to counterfeit and at the same time catered for international companies that manufactured public telephones and coin payphones. Specific telephone coins were used until 1953 when new coins sporting the name of the new telephone company OTE made their appearance. After the founding of OTE (1949), the coins were sporting a new logo as well as the minting date while maintaining their specific shape and dimensions.