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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;ewomack, post: 2455977, member: 15588&quot;]I just finished the excellent mini-seminar &quot;Making Money the Medieval Way.&quot; Anyone interested in medieval coinage will gain a new appreciation for just how much effort and skill went into making these seemingly crude pieces.</p><p><br /></p><p>First the class made their own die punches by grinding small metal spikes down to a flattened point. Then everyone received a cylindrical piece of steel, the die, to polish on various grades of sandpaper (320, 500, 1000, 1500). By the end of the polishing process one end of the steel rod had a mirrored surface. This was divided into four sections upon which two circles were drawn.</p><p><br /></p><p>Then came the planning for the coin&#039;s text and an inner design. Using about a half dozen punches of various types, light hammer taps sank shapes into the mirrored dies. Things soon began to look very medieval. When people completed punching their dies, they went outside to a stump and had their designs hammered into aluminum, silver, brass and even small billon planchets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Punching dies is exhausting work and many people thought their dies looked horrible when finished. &quot;You should have seen <i>our</i> first dies,&quot; both instructors said. But most people produced legible text and interesting designs. Regardless, the whole point wasn&#039;t really the end product, but experiencing and appreciating the process. Making high quality dies can take years of practice and this class will get anyone started along on that fascinating road. It also leaves one wondering just how medieval die makers and minters created coins with such limited tools. These mostly anonymous people remain highly under-appreciated artists now mostly lost to history. The class clearly shows that they had a difficult and highly skilled job.</p><p><br /></p><p>Highly recommended and great instructors. Hopefully the ANA will include the class again next year.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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