16th C Hammered Coin Clamp

[Terry1643]

Hi,

I’m currently doing some research on 16th century minting could anyone help me?

It’s not directly coin related but by a tool used in the minting process. On one of the pains featuring the coat of arms of Werner Zentgraf, a 16th century mint showing mint master Schaffhausen, one of the pains shows a clamp being used to smoothen of the hammered planchets (Large picture shown below)

Has anyone ever come across one of these tools or seen a picture on the internet? if you have I would love to hear from you.

[TomGoodheart]

I've seen a similar picture. The blanks from which the coins are struck are stacked together into a sort of 'sausage', clamped at the ends. Then the sausage is hammered into a round cylinder/rod, thus making the blanks (planchets) mostly circular. You can see the result sometimes in that the edges of unclipped coins are a bit thicker and edge on you can see they have been hammered. Like this one:

If you think about it, it's quite clever. The blamks were cut from silver plate, often quite crudely. Hammering the edges of the planchets individually would have been fiddly, more time consuming and likely bent the planchet. Doing several together would have been more efficient.

One thing I'm not sure about is whether the technique was used for all coin denominations. I can imagine that it was most convenient for larger coins such as crowns/Thalers. There might have been a size below which it was too fiddly.

You also find that the roundness of coins varies considerably, proably depending on how much the coyners could be bothered to do a good job. Late coins of Charles I (1640s) for example are often mis-shapen and poorly executed.

Edited November 16, 2011 by TomGoodheart

[Terry1643]

I've seen a similar picture. The blanks from which the coins are struck are stacked together into a sort of 'sausage', clamped at the ends. Then the sausage is hammered into a round cylinder/rod, thus making the blanks (planchets) mostly circular. You can see the result sometimes in that the edges of unclipped coins are a bit thicker and edge on you can see they have been hammered.

Hi Tom, thanks for you great description and making the time to reply back to me, do you know how the clamp mechanism worked? the picture is very vague, I'm looking into getting a reproduction made up for a dispaly piece.

You also find that the roundness of coins varies considerably, proably depending on how much the coyners could be bothered to do a good job. Late coins of Charles I (1640s) for example are often mis-shapen and poorly executed.

The main area of reserch is based on the temporary mints during the ECW and Seige pieces, many coins were products of provincial mints operating under wartime conditions even by contemporary standards, many of the coins produced under such conditions, were very irregular in appearance.

Thanks for you help,

Terry

Edited November 16, 2011 by Terry1643

[Peter]

I'm sure Tom will have some more info for you.The siege pieces etc were struck on many shapes and were of crude manufacture.Any bit of silver was utilised.The Scarborough siege pieces I actually made in GCSE metalwork 30 years ago...so watch out for these

[TomGoodheart]

Hi Tom, thanks for you great description and making the time to reply back to me, do you know how the clamp mechanism worked? the picture is very vague, I'm looking into getting a reproduction made up for a dispaly piece.

To be honest, no. I am sure I've seen a picture a bit similar to the one in your window but can't seem to track it down. It's not in the book I thought it was! I assumed that they perhaps used a screw clamp to hold the planchets neatly. I don't know if Dave Greenhalgh (Dave the Moneyer) might have some more information? He makes coins and might know more. Maybe give him a call?

The main area of reserch is based on the temporary mints during the ECW and Seige pieces, many coins were products of provincial mints operating under wartime conditions even by contemporary standards, many of the coins produced under such conditions, were very irregular in appearance.

Ah, yes. The Civil War pieces were of very varying quality from the excellent (machine made) York coins to the 'blacksmith' pieces. As for siege pieces, as Peter says, they were often cut from silver plates using a pair of shears and simply stamped. The Newark(e) coins are a good example, some even still bearing traces of the decoration or gilding of the item they were cut from. Some Scarborough pieces were just cut any old how and then had the value stamped on them depending on what they weighed.

Generally the larger the coin the more trouble seems to have been taken. But I think some of the late Tower issues (between about 1640-45, particularly the (P) and R privy marks when quality seemed to go out the window) compete quite well with the provincial mints for the 'poor quality' title. This for example:

Just about central strike but with a very crude portrait and mishapen (though decent weight) flan. Difficult to imagine the moneyer was bothered about anything other than finishing the job and getting off to the ale house!

[Terry1643]

To be honest, no. I am sure I've seen a picture a bit similar to the one in your window but can't seem to track it down. It's not in the book I thought it was! I assumed that they perhaps used a screw clamp to hold the planchets neatly. I don't know if Dave Greenhalgh (Dave the Moneyer) might have some more information? He makes coins and might know more. Maybe give him a call?

Hi Tom, I'm one of Daves appretices, I'm meeting up again with him in the new year to collect a 4p Charles die, I'll ask him then.

Ah, yes. The Civil War pieces were of very varying quality from the excellent (machine made) York coins to the 'blacksmith' pieces. As for siege pieces, as Peter says, they were often cut from silver plates using a pair of shears and simply stamped. The Newark(e) coins are a good example, some even still bearing traces of the decoration or gilding of the item they were cut from. Some Scarborough pieces were just cut any old how and then had the value stamped on them depending on what they weighed.

I'm having my shear redone for the new year as they were to short somthing similar to these, around 30":

My next display piece was the clamps, I'll catch up on those with Dave, thanks for all your help,

Terry.

[TomGoodheart]

Cool. It'd be interesting to see what you come up with!