Coining (mint)
The coinage is a mechanical process to mint coins. This is where a coin blank, also known as flan, brought into the desired shape by means of stamping dies. Be embossed coins, medals, decorations, badges and brands of metal. Manual coinage in pre-industrial times is referred to as Münzschlag or Münzschlagen, machine production as coinage.
History
While the first coins were still fairly simple way to see this developed over time into its own craft and were elaborate and detailed. The first documented findings are ionic coinage (7th century BC) and were made of electron. This is easiest to embossing. A drop of metal was punched with a chisel.
From about 650 BC, the coins were elaborate and were given simple motifs such as lion's head and the like ( Stater ). From this point on, then punches were used for embossing.
Method
Antiquity
The Münzgraveur engraved first in an uncured lower punch of iron a Münzbildnegativ one. This stamp called with a negative image, even front or obverse ( ancient Greek "character" ), was admitted after curing in an anvil or more commonly wood block. For embossing the coin you put a piece of metal (gold, silver, copper or alloys) in the form of a usually round metal plate, also blank, planchet ( coin ) or blank plate called in the desired size of a coin on to these temples. Now you put the retaining chisel, the punch, as congruent as possible to lower stamp on the Ronde and struck with a hammer on the punch. The sudden shock pressure, the Münzbildmotive the hardened upper and lower stamp impressed on the relatively softer Ronde as a positive obverse designs. From Ronde was the coin by stamping. The image of the holding chisel or upper punch, the back, or reverse, ie, ancient Greek " typos ".
For very thin, single-sided coins, for example, in the Bracteates in 1200, accounted for the lower punch. Here are usually several very thin silver sheet blanks were struck or coined at the same time with a punch against a leather also lead backing.
The very high numbers of today's stamping coins subject to the similarity in the coin designs since about 1870 most stringent quality requirements. Therefore, first require the preparation of one or even several positive " Mutterstempelmatrizen ", respectively, for the lower and upper punches. This positive mother dies are hardened and in turn shaped the required uncured actual negative daughter - coining. These were subsequently cured, usually still hard chrome electroplating and inserted into the corresponding modern minting machines.
Modern stamper allow for many thousands of individual imprints without significant wear or clogging of the stamp engraving reliefs. Often the first hundred coinage of a new stamp to be used specifically for collector coins. Commemorative coins are made with polished planchet and polished stamp. Especially the stamp for circulation coins usually have a relatively flat relief engraving, the medal, the relief, however, is usually carried out much stronger, as these are not subject to wear in the circulation of money. For the edge lettering or ribbing there since the 17th century special Rändelmaschinen. The milling of the Ronde was usually done before stamping.
The classic Roman Republican coinage and also frühkaiserliche BC was ordered in accordance with specified procedures and test procedures before 250 - by a variety of different supervisors, craftsmen, artists and laborers. The uppermost temporarily controlled up to eight quaestors as state inspectors, the Mint ( Moneta ) as a very important state-owned enterprise. The actual Moneta usually were three high Magistrates ( mint master ) before directly as a disciplinary leader and responsible for compliance with the procedures that were called triumviri monetales. Their abbreviation stood partly on the coins as III viri aaaff that for auro (gold), argento (silver), aere (copper) et flando ( melt ), fernudo ( shape ) stood. Occasionally, was only the name of the first mint master, who was usually also Senator, as a seal on the Republican coins. The real work is done by a variety of free workers and slaves, as Scalptores ( modellers ), Signatores ( engravers ), Suppostores ( Münzeinleger ) Malliatores ( minters or racket ), Aequatores ( Adjusters ), Probatores ( auditors), Nummularii (computers, down counter ) and Mediastini ( unskilled workers). The metallurgical Erzerschmelzprozess was almost always separated organizationally from the actual coin; they received supplied as raw materials, the metal bars. The late Roman coins in the mobile legions could such a specialized personnel expenses of course no longer afford. Important mythological god Vulcan was the patron saint of Münzarbeiter.
Modern Times
At the beginning of modern times, the ancient, remained from the ancient coin production manual was outdated. The in Tirol " born " in 1486 Guldengroschen, soon called Taler, and similar sized coins could be with hammer and hand stamp and often beat with difficulty only imprecise, and even the new embossing Medals required more force than she could ever muster a blacksmith. Engineer and inventor built new embossing machines, but enforced has the screw press. Even today it is found in modified form in mints and in the metalworking industry.
The screw press, also screw, balancing, shock work, run, throw or eccentric called, is a child of the 16th century. Competitors were the factory clip and the roller embossing, which developed into the bag factory. When clip -factory, the upper punch moved on to a rail or tube and down. With the aid of a stirrup of the punch could be moved. Rotation of the punch and especially injuries during embossing with the hammer came less frequently than with the traditional manual method. The clip work, which made the holding of the upper punch by hand unnecessary, but not the manual slamming on the upper punch was used primarily for smaller coin denominations.
When rolling embossing two engraved steel rollers were turned against each other. For this purpose, we used human muscle power, water power or gin works that were moved by horses. Between the rollers are pushed thin metal strips that Zaine. On them is labeled front and back of the coin. Then the coin had to be cut or knocked out of the metal strip. The method had the disadvantage that weak bent coins emerged, which were slightly oval. Collectors recognize the embossed with the roll or on the bag work, with its " mushroom-shaped " curved stamping coins immediately. It was not possible to provide the curved, oval coins on the edge with patterns or inscriptions. That was important to protect high-grade gold and silver coins from illegal weight reduction and other manipulations.
From the 17th to the 20th century, however, has done much in the technique of stamping coins. In the 17th century it was a major innovation that were injected by means of the spindle drive and two to twelve men on the upper punch and lower punch flan and thus at a stroke could characterize a larger amount of coins. This method guarantees a powerful, resilient embossed with a force equal to the weight of up to 30 tons.
The amount of coins that can emit such machines, has increased enormously. Larger numbers was reached in the 19th century by the use of the toggle work of Diedrich Uhlhorn. In this system, the upper punch is pressed against the flan among themselves steigerndem pressure. In parallel with the knee lever mechanism came from about 1810 ring embossed first with the coarse Kurantmünzen on, such as the thaler. This Embossment prevented the Ronde assumed a larger diameter during the embossing process in the steel ring through the pressing pressure, that is enlarging rounded off at the edges. The ring inheritance made simultaneously with the edge strips and the Perlkreis in the embossed image and the knurling or by an edge lettering very easily see a reduction in weight by Befeilung.
The next major advance provided the use of steam engines. In the late 18th century, Matthew Boulton and James Watt built, the inventor of the steam engine, rolling and stamping machines with steam propulsion. The steam turned the rollers, which formed the metal bars to coin thicknesses plates, and with his help, some tore the blanks and led the embossing hammers. These machines produced 60 coins per minute.
Dieter Fassbender called 1983 a lot of 100-300 pieces per minute, Christopher Maynard and Renate Kingma spoke of 400-500 coins that occur per minute.
The latest development portrays Klaus Jopp. According to him, punching machines from prefabricated Zain - metal strips per minute 20,000 blanks applicable from the 2002 European currency Euro.
Rare coins have also been cast. Well known are the Roman aces, Chinese Käsch coins and also the Celtic Rainbow Cup, which were prepared by casting.
Stamp position
The minting of coins with the help of two stamp is set at the same time as the front and back sides of a coin to each other. At the turn of stamping both sides are correct when the coin is rotated around the horizontal axis. Since, inter alia, the coins of the French franc were so marked, is also spoken of the " French coinage ". In contrast, there is the downside embossing. Here, the coin around the vertical axis must be rotated around the motif of both sides to function properly. For example, the coins of the German mark and the euro coins are made of sweeping character. In a nutshell, that coins that are stored in transparent envelopes in coin albums are correct, the normal flip when they were produced in inverse embossing, while coins with stamping turning upside down.