How to Design a Coin

Coins are one of the most familiar objects in everyday life. Used for money all over the world, these metal objects possess economic and artistic value. They are also prized as historical artifacts and are often sought by collectors. Many coins demonstrate considerable artistry, and it is possible to design your own coin--though not a very good idea to try to spend it.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Computer graphics program
• or
• A piece of paper

Instructions

1. To design a coin, you must first know what traditionally makes up a coin. Typically, a coin is a round piece of metal that has designs and writing on each face. One face is called the obverse, or heads, while the other is the reverse, or tails. It is the obverse side that typically bears a large and prominent picture. American coins will normally show the head of a president on the obverse. British coins, for exmaple, will show a bust of the monarch on the obverse. You will need to select an appropriate picture for the obverse of your own coin. Maybe it will be yourself, if your are heading your own empire. Maybe it will be someone you admire--a celebrity or historical figure. Perhaps you will choose a picture that honors a loved one.

2. To finish your coin's obverse, you will also need to pick out some more design features. In most countries, the date the coin was minted, or made, usually appears just below the main picture. So you can put the date in this spot. The area itself is called the exergue. You do not have to put a date here. In fact, you can leave it blank. But, it is a good idea to put something int he exergue. You can put your own special mark, possibly the symbol of your country or the mark for your own private mint. This can be anything you like.

3. Add a description to your image. You will want to put it along the outer edge of the circle that forms the obverse. The description would most likely be the name of the figure on your coin and the title of that person if applicable. Remember, you can be anything you want on your own coin. You might even substitute some kind of motto for the name. You might also want to decide how the images and text will appear on your final coin. If you are using a graphics program on a computer, it might be fairly easy to create a relief, or raised image. You can also adjust the fonts for your text. If you are good at drawing, you can create the same effects on paper.

4. Turn over your coin, or rather make a new drawing for the reverse side of your coin. Usually, the reverse bears some sort of picture that has symbolic significance. If you are running your own country, maybe you have a coat of arms, or maybe there is a famous building in your capital city. You can always select a historic structure or maybe something of more universal significance. The reverse will also be where you will want to put the name of your country or other issuing authority. Put these near the edge of the circle that forms the reverse. It goes in the same spot as the inscription on the obverse, just on the other side. You will also want to prominently display the denomination of the coin. If it is a 5-cent piece, put a big "5" somewhere on the reverse. You could even make the "5" the centerpiece of your design and surround it with some kind of decorative detail. Also, don't forget to include the actual name of the denomination, like cents, pounds or dinars, or something you make up.

5. To complete the design, you will want to decide on the coin's exact shape. Most coins are perfectly round, but some are many-sided. Many traditional Asian coins even have a hole in the middle. In that case, you would have to play around with some of your pictures to get the right look. Most coins also have little ridges around edge. This is called milling. This was originally done to prevent people form clipping or shaving off the edges of the metal and keeping it for themselves. You will probably want to have milled edges on your coin, especially if it will be made out of metal. In fact, the choice of material is your last step int he design process. Metal is the usual material, but since your coin will not be circulating, it could be anything, even plastic or wood. Just take your design and have a die made up. Now you can start minting.

Resources

• Coin Identification Table for Historic U.S. Coins