How to Strike Coins

The designs on coins are created by the method of coin striking.

The concept of currency has been around for many years. In earlier years, coins were the only means of buying goods and services as paper money did not yet exist. The process of striking coins has greatly advanced over the years, but it can still be done by any individual with the right equipment. Creating money by anyone other than the government is illegal, so any struck coins can only be used as showpieces or products themselves that can be sold later.

Things You'll Need

• Blank coin
• Hammer
• Upper die
• Lower die

Instructions

1. Get your materials together. You will need an an upper die, lower die and a set of blank coins. There are several manufacturers of these, and a simple online search can locate them. The manufacturers will require an image to be sent of the positive and negative, or reverse, sides of the coin before making the purchase. There also are coin presses that are available, but they are very expensive.

2. Place the blank coin on the lower die that has the negative image. Make sure that it is on there evenly, not off to one side or the other, so the image will come out correctly.

3. Set the upper die on the top of the coin. Again, check that both the die and the coin are aligned properly.

4. Strike the upper die strongly with the hammer. Lift up the upper die and take out the struck coin.

References

• Fleur-de-coin.com: How Coins were Minted
• Calgary Coin: Grading & Quality of Ancient Coins