Printing of Coins

PRINTING OF COINS

1. History of Typography

During the Sangam era, they used to carve the desired images, shapes, letters, seals, symbols on stone and on board. They developed a habit of making copies by applying ink on them. The method of recording was next dealt with by applying ink to a grooved surface and pressing it onto paper or tin or solid metal or some other material. Then such impressions were made in clay

2. Minting Money (or) Embossing Money (or) Coin Printing

Minting refers to a manufacturing facility that produces coins used as a country's currency.

Puthina

Puthina indicates the manufacturing facility that produces coins.

Coin Making during the Sangam Period

Coins were first minted 2000 years ago in Lydia (Turkey) during the Sangam period. The Sangam period coins were minted manually using hammers from pieces of metals such as gold, silver and copper.

The metals were placed in a die mounted on a solid surface. And where one coin is hammered a second coin is placed on the die and hammered on top of it.

During the Sangam period, the 'Thatars' who made ornaments for the people in the palace also minted gold coins. It is also mentioned that the place where coins were minted was called 'Aghasalai'. The street where the coin makers lived was called 'Aghasalai street'. The coin makers were called 'Aghasalaiyars'.

Making Medieval Coins

Medieval coin making was more advanced than Sangam coin making. It used metal pre-shaped circular discs and a screw press. This process produced coins of a more consistent quality than the Sangam coinage process.

Making Modern Coins

Modern coins are minted with hydraulic coin machines. They mechanically load the voids inside them. The machines can stamp 100 to 300 tons of coins in a short period of time.

3. Method of Shaping (or) Single Axial Method

In the 11th Century, during the reign of China's Siskili king, B. Cheng first invented the printing press. That process is described in the following steps.

Step-1: Taking a long piece of clay and inscribing letters on it like the edge of a coin.

Step-2: The scribed characters are fired separately in the same manner as pottery making.

Step-3: These solid letters or images were applied on an iron plate with a mixture of paper ash, pine resin and wax.

Then iron frame was fixed on it and baked clay moulds were stacked.

Step-4: The base of the plate is heated by fire. This heat will start to melt the adhesive on the plate.

Step-5: After softening, it is rubbed with a smooth wooden board. Thus, the prints are evenly printed and the letter or shapes or paintings are pressed all over the iron plate to form a solid pattern.

By this method, thousands of coins can be produced.