Page 11 - Delcampe Collections classiques EN-004

Coins

gold, which can also be used as
an alloy for different types of gold,
are worked here. We’ll shape the
medal, coin and decoration.
After receiving the tooling, the
shop foreman designs the blank,
i.e., the initial round disk, and de-
cides on the number of times it
will be pressed, that is, the num-
ber of times the item will be
struck, as they say here. A medal
can be struck up to five times. In
practice, the blank is cut based
on what has been decided be-
fore the first strike, after which
the shop foreman inspects the
result. Striking varies depending
on the tooling. The number of
tonnes used for the strike is de-
termined based on this factor.
The different presses range from
650 tonnes up to 2,500 tonnes!
If the first strike is not satisfac-
tory, the medal will be melted
down in an oven at 600 degrees
for eight hours, in order to make
it workable and to strike it again
the next day. And so on, until
the result is satisfactory. Deco-
rations are made the same way,
taking into account the fact that
they are smaller.
Collector coins (Astérix, the
Sower, the Mona Lisa, etc.) are

Two machines used to strike coins.

Delcampe Magazine 11