Celtic Copper Alloy Coin Minting Technology: Experiential Approaches

In this paper, details are presented for three technical approaches that can be employed in the reproduction of Celtic coins from Britain: 1) the use of pellet trays to produce coin blanks of standardised weight; 2) the use of successive iterations of clay moulds to shrink coin design images while r...

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Main Authors: Lawrence Herzman, Monika Townsend
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: EXARC 2018-11-01
Series:EXARC Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://exarc.net/ark:/88735/10377
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author Lawrence Herzman
Monika Townsend
author_facet Lawrence Herzman
Monika Townsend
author_sort Lawrence Herzman
collection DOAJ
description In this paper, details are presented for three technical approaches that can be employed in the reproduction of Celtic coins from Britain: 1) the use of pellet trays to produce coin blanks of standardised weight; 2) the use of successive iterations of clay moulds to shrink coin design images while retaining clarity; and 3) the use of a low-carbon steel die that was heated to a plastic state and struck with a cast bronze slug to imprint the design prior to hardening. The combination of these three approaches enabled reproductions that closely match coin finds in the archaeological record and may provide insight into coin minting processes from the Iron Age in Britain. Each of these three areas is described and details are provided for materials and tools employed. The place of coin minting technology as a collaboration between increasingly specialised industries in the context of the social transition from Middle Iron Age to Late Iron Age is briefly considered.
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spelling doaj.art-ec30643e32704c9aa18270f841fcfea32024-02-26T15:06:26ZengEXARCEXARC Journal2212-89562018-11-012018/4ark:/88735/10377Celtic Copper Alloy Coin Minting Technology: Experiential ApproachesLawrence HerzmanMonika TownsendIn this paper, details are presented for three technical approaches that can be employed in the reproduction of Celtic coins from Britain: 1) the use of pellet trays to produce coin blanks of standardised weight; 2) the use of successive iterations of clay moulds to shrink coin design images while retaining clarity; and 3) the use of a low-carbon steel die that was heated to a plastic state and struck with a cast bronze slug to imprint the design prior to hardening. The combination of these three approaches enabled reproductions that closely match coin finds in the archaeological record and may provide insight into coin minting processes from the Iron Age in Britain. Each of these three areas is described and details are provided for materials and tools employed. The place of coin minting technology as a collaboration between increasingly specialised industries in the context of the social transition from Middle Iron Age to Late Iron Age is briefly considered.https://exarc.net/ark:/88735/10377ancient technologycoiniron ageunited kingdom
spellingShingle Lawrence Herzman
Monika Townsend
Celtic Copper Alloy Coin Minting Technology: Experiential Approaches
EXARC Journal
ancient technology
coin
iron age
united kingdom
title Celtic Copper Alloy Coin Minting Technology: Experiential Approaches
title_full Celtic Copper Alloy Coin Minting Technology: Experiential Approaches
title_fullStr Celtic Copper Alloy Coin Minting Technology: Experiential Approaches
title_full_unstemmed Celtic Copper Alloy Coin Minting Technology: Experiential Approaches
title_short Celtic Copper Alloy Coin Minting Technology: Experiential Approaches
title_sort celtic copper alloy coin minting technology experiential approaches
topic ancient technology
coin
iron age
united kingdom
url https://exarc.net/ark:/88735/10377
work_keys_str_mv AT lawrenceherzman celticcopperalloycoinmintingtechnologyexperientialapproaches
AT monikatownsend celticcopperalloycoinmintingtechnologyexperientialapproaches