Today, the practice of coin flipping can be found all over the world. Players would then flip the shell in the air and call the correct side, just like we do today with our modern coin toss! The other side of the shell would remain its original color. It is believed that players would cover one side of a shell with a black or very dark brown substance called “black pitch” - a resinous goo which is obtained from certain coniferous trees. While the actual origin of the coin toss is up for debate, many historians believe that the coin flip originated in Ancient Greece. “Pile” comes from a Middle English term which means “reverse of a coin.” In Peru, the coin flip is called “face or seal,” even to this day! In ancient China, the coin flip was known as “ship or head.” This is because ancient Chinese coins were minted with a ship on one side and a head on the other. Later in history, the British called the coin flip “cross and pile.” At the time, many coins depicted a cross on one side. Per the flip of the coin, these decisions were considered to be legally binding.
During this time, the coin flip was utilized to make some very serious decisions, including those related to criminality, property, and marriage.
Julius Caesar himself used the coin flip in 49 BC when he began minting coins which depicted his name. During this period, Romans called the coin toss “navia aut caput,” which translates to “ship or head.” This is because some Roman coins had a ship on one side and the head (or “bust”) of the emperor on the other side. Metal coins were first manufactured as early as the 7th century BC, however, the first accounts of the practice of coin tossing can be found in ancient Rome.