this presentation describes 3 types of coin minting processes used in ancient india. Punching casting and Die striking

1. Coins
& Minting of coins
A seminar by Naman Shrivastava
MA AIHCA II semeste

2. Coins according to V. .A.
Smith , denote “a metallic
metallic pieces of definite
weight authenticated as
currency by marks
recognised as a guarantee
of value."
Tip
Don’t wait till the end of
the presentation to give
the bottom line.
Reveal your product or
idea (in this case a
translation app) up front.
Each coin has two
values; an
intrinsic value i.e.
the value of the
metal it is made of
and
an extrinsic or face
value which is
conferred upon it by the
issuing authorities

3. Numismatics
Terminology
Flan is the surface of a coin.
Obverse Principal side of a coin
mostly bearing the royal portrait or
royal information is known as the
obverse side of a coin and the opposed
side is known as reverse

4. ➔ Motif
It is a decorative symbol, design or figure impressed on the coin
➔ Hoard
is a secret stock or store or something valuable that is kept hidden
➔ Device
is the symbol or emblem or armorial design on a coin in conjunction with
the legend or motto. .
➔ Legend
words appearing on the coin or written on a coin.
➔ Die
Die is the metallic piece engraved in negative for minting coins. Two dies
are used for minting a single coin.

5. Tools
Kautilya in Arthasastra, referred in a passage to the
counterfeiters of coins (Kutarupa karaka) and he stated a list
of objects used for manufacturing of coins. Metal was first
melted in crucibles (musha) and purified with alkalis
(kshara) then beaten into sheets in an anvil (adhikarni) with
a hammer (mushtika) cut into pieces with clippers
(sandansa) and ultimately embossed with dies or punches
bearing symbols (Bimba - tanka)

6. ANVILS
The Anvils are very ancient
tools first made of stone as a
lithic stone tool, then bronze
and later with iron. It is a
heavy iron block with a flat
top and concave sides, on
which metal cab be
hammered and shaped. CRUCIBLE
It is a melting pot, a heat
resistant container of ceramic or
metal used for melting ores or
metals to very high
temperature.

7. CLIPPERS
It is an instrument for
cutting or trimming. After
melting the metal in
crucibles and purified with
alkalis it was beaten into
sheets in an anvil with a
hammer and then cut into
pieces with clippers.
DIES
Metal piece engraved with the
design used for stamping the coin.
Dies were made of hard bronze or
iron. Bronze dies were easier to
engrave and do not oust but wore
out faster. The obverse die was
mounted on the anvil and the
reverse die was struck to make the

8. Minting a coin
Mint is a facility where coins are crafted or a place
where coins, medals, or tokens are made. A mint is
an industrial facility where coins are
manufactured and it can be used as currency.

9. How many methods do
ancient mint masters use to
make a coin which
Should be accepted
Anywhere ?

10. Three!
(With a little help from the other countries and many
empires)
1. Punching technique also known as the archaic multiple
die striking technique
2. Casting technique
3. Die striking technique

11. All the sixteen mahajanapadas had their own specific type
of punch marked coinage. The symbols on these coins
varied from one to four on the obverse. Later with the rise
of Magadha as an imperial power we find the use of five
symbols of the obverse of each pieces as a standard
device. The technique used for minting these coins
involved the preparation of the coin blanks.
Punching technique

12. Punching
symbol that was to be
punched on the coin
flan was engraved in
negative on dies so
that when it as
punched it would be
in its positive. The die
was placed on the
coin blank and
received a hammer
blow so that the
symbol gets punched
on the obverse.
Preparing the
coin blanks
Sheet cutting
technique- irregular
shape, often clipped
for adjusting the
weight using clippers
Droplet method-
round or elliptical
shaped
Beaten into sheets of
required thickness
Adjusting the
weight
each piece was
weighed on a
weighing scale and
further clipping of the
ends of the metallic
piece was done for
adjusting its weight
according to the
weight standard

13. Punch mark
coins

14. Casting technique
A widely used technique for minting large scale base metal
coins. Generally used for copper coins in India. In this
technique the coin was produced with the help of moulds
which were mostly made of burnt clay or any hard metal .
● Single mould
● Double mould
● Multiple mould
See a short video on Casting coins

15. Coin finishing
mould was then
broken to get the
solid metal.
channel had also got
crystalized or
solidified and it was
then cut using a sharp
clipper to get the
desired coin. The
extra metal went
back to the melting
pot
Clay Moulds
moulds which were
mostly made of clay
and the device of the
coins was impressed
on this clay in negative
so that when the coin is
produced it will have
the positive
impression. Clay piece
after receiving the
impression was dried
and baked to get a
terracotta mould.
Pouring metal
Molten metal was
poured in the mould
and was allowed to
cool down to get the
coin.
single mould had a
blank reverse.
two different devices
joined , A vent was
kept on the top for
pouring the molten
metal.

16. Die Striking
Introduced by the Bactrian Greeks or Indo Greeks in India and
is the most popularly used technique for minting coins in the
Indian subcontinent. In this technique a pair of dies are used
for minting a coin. These coins were mostly round in shape and
the coin blank was rounded.

17. DIE STRIKING
A group of coin blanks were
rounded using a rounding
instrument which received
hammer blows with light
strokes for rounding the
coins blanks.
The lower die was fixed to the
anvil so that it does not move on
striking. The coin blank is placed
in between the two dies i.e. it
was placed on the anvil die and
then on it the upper die was
placed
Another piece of metal
block was placed on it to
protect the upper die
from getting damaged
soon
Then a blow was given
with a hammer for
both the devices to get
impressed on the coin
blank.