This coin should put the "misaligned pincer tongs" theory to rest

If you have had any experience trying to work with an object on a spinning surface, it's easy to imagine how the "spike" which was to hold the blank steady and centered on the wheel while it was planed and/or pontils were shaved off drifted. You have probably noticed that anything that throws a rotating system out of round or that hits it at all off-center creates significant forces. Evidently the spike was levered down into position pinning the flan to the platen, but at some point in the process the pressure on the lever holding it down was partially released. The resulting coin being a bit off-round shows either how an oblong flan might scoot around and upset the planing process, or how the planing process might result in an oblong flan if the tool caused the workpiece to "wander" at any point during the processes. You can clearly see the incidental concentric "toolmark" around the larger-than-normal center that was created by the coin wandering around the center at some point while it was being tooled.

 

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Can anyone suppose all these coins belonged to an old-time collector
and marked them for identification?

 

I'm more curious why someone would suppose they only had ONE tong the entire time and they never got lose.

good read from a couple years ago.

 

Have any of you ever tried to pick up a fairly thick round piece of metal in a small furnace? I have, using several different tools.

Think of a pizza oven to soften planchets. So, in spite of the credentials of the person proposing it...IMHO, this tong theory is stupid - UNLESS the planchets were heated in a vertical position with enough space between them for the tongs to reach through to both sides and make a depression on each side.

Very informative thread.

 

I ran across this coin today and immediately thought of this thread. Clear signs of the flan being lathed:

PTOLEMAIC KINGS of EGYPT. Ptolemy VI Philometor. First reign, 180-164 BC. AE Tetrobol (25 mm, 15.79 g, 11h). Alexandreia mint. Struck under Cleopatra I Thea as regent, 180-176 BC. Wreathed head of Isis right / Eagle standing left on thunderbolt, wings displayed; monogram to left. Svoronos 1384; Weiser 147; SNG Copenhagen 279-6. VF, brown patina. -- Sphinx Numismatics

 

I agree. Think of how a flan might be picked up. It would be impossible to actually pick up any flan with tongs like those.

 

Many Seleucid coins have tong mark's like the one shown here at 11 o'cock from Alexander II. This could be an indication of holding heated flans.


Dimples for face smoothing seems reasonable, where lathing mark's can be seen on the reverse, mostly notable above the elephant when enlarged.