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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Dafydd, post: 26233458, member: 86815&quot;]I do respectfully somewhat disagree somewhat with [USER=110226]@robinjojo[/USER] but really appreciate his comments as it has set me thinking. This is because there is there&#039;s no way to &quot;cut&quot; something without some form of material loss even on a microscopic level.</p><p>The question is , how was it cut and what with?</p><p>These coins were more than 95% silver so the copper content was low but the science still is;</p><p>Plastic Deformation<b>:</b> When you press a sharp knife edge into the silver, the metal will initially undergo plastic deformation and be displaced. It literally moves out of the way of the blade. Next step. Shearing and fracture; As you apply more force and/or draw the knife, the stress at the cutting edge eventually exceeds the silver&#039;s strength. The metal will then shear, meaning it breaks along the plane of the cut.</p><p>Chip/Burr Formation<b>:</b> The act of shearing inevitably creates tiny fragments, chips, or burrs of metal that are detached from the main body of the coin. These fragments are the &quot;lost&quot; metal.</p><p>I used to direct a non-ferrous foundry so cutting and metallurgy were key issues. I can&#039;t believe the cut in this coin is simply displaced metal as it is catastrophic which lends itself to a blade with teeth or an extremely sharp thick blade.</p><p>With this amount of damage, IMHO, the gap isn&#039;t just compressed metal; it&#039;s empty space where some material used to be.</p><p>At this time carbon steel was available but to make such a deep cut I would have thought would be dangerous to the holder of the coin unless possibly it was clamped and now we drift into the realms of multiple cuts necessitating a jig or fixture. If every coin is to be cut and we know there could be thousands, deep cuts might prove profitable.</p><p>I would imagine a carbon blade would have been expensive and highly prized but maybe one lost blade was worth more than a fake &quot;owl&quot;.</p><p>Clearly there was no significance given to this action on a sacred basis to create such a defacement and it could even have occurred much later and elsewhere.</p><p>If I consider [USER=110226]@robinjojo[/USER]&#039;s comment with my own I am undecided and on a balance scale would think we are possibly equally right.</p><p>I am so intrigued by @robinjo&#039;s comment that I am going to conduct an experiment with a divers knife and a Silver Britannia coin. These coins are 95.8%&nbsp; silver and I will weigh one and then try to make a deep cut holding it and clamping it. I&#039;ll post my results.</p><p>If you seek the truth you can&#039;t hold an opinion and my opinion is wavering.</p><p>There are hundreds of millions of Britannia&#039;s so this is an experiment in the interest of science and it will still hold its bullion value and could possibly create some numismatic interest in a couple of&nbsp; hundred years time.</p><p>I can imagine the Heritage listing. &quot; Extraordinary artisan defaced Britannia coin possibly making a political anti monarchy comment during the transition from the new Elizabethan Age?&nbsp; Micro cellular sub atomic DNA testing indicates the defacer was a 68 year old male with a compulsive inquisitive personality who lost blood during the process&quot;.</p><p>I would not be surprised if DNA would reveal personality in a couple of hundred years time. We have much to learn and a lot of it will be discovered after we are gone.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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