reproduction ancient coins.

[rogue_artist]

Hello,

I have been looking into several "nick-knacks" that help round out an impression of daily-life. So I eventually came across coins.

Most of the coins in my price range are....well, "damaged" to say the least. I was thinking about getting a couple "damaged" coins and reconstructing them using sculpting techniques and then casting a new one that looks whole and brand-spanking new! Like it would have looked back then, right out of the mint.

So I have a couple of questions...

1: I want to alter the finished design somewhat and mark it as my ARTWORK. An *obvious* fake. I do this out of respect for coin collectors.

Should I just put my initials around the coin, maybe? Like where the other writing is?

Or is there another way to protect my work so that unscrupulous "coin dealers" dont try to pass it off as a high-grade original? Perhaps make it out of pot-tin? Or another substance that would look good, but never have been used originally?

2: Would anyone else like a handful to go with your gear? I figure it would make playing games and other period gambling look really good!

3: what metal would be best for such reproductions? I can make inexpensive bullion/billon: that cheap silver with a lot of copper in it. Or I can use pot-tin, but try to find the lead-free type LOL Or I can look into actual silver I guess, I dont know.


Instead of hammering the coins like originally done, Im just going to make a silocon mold and cast them. Cheaper, easier, faster. And the mold will not wear out as fast as a hammer die.

Or does that seem lazy of me?

Please let me know your thoughts, anyone who has something to contribute to the idea. I just want to do it for fun. Ive always wanted to do it for my 15th century group, so I figured I would go ahead and make a couple of examples from Ancient times too.

I think it would be a nice addition to my kit. Use them as tokens to give the kids, use them in gambling, use them to make period looking transactions or other public display. Something fun to pass around the group.

Nothing I want to try and go into business over. Just cheap repros to have FUN with. You know? Too much of our kit costs an arm and a leg. I think it fun irony to have money that doesn't! LOL!!!!

kindest regards,
-Jason

[The_Mariner]

Depending on their final price and look,
sure a few coins for the dice games should
help the overall impression, let us know what
you come up with.

[rogue_artist]

I just need to know what century of coin I should be looking at. 1st century AD?

[Lucius Duccius Rufinus]

Jason,
Great idea! i've been thinking the same thing, would be good to have some cheap coins to throw about when playing Dice and other gambling games. Its good at events to get the kids involved, i'm not totally clued up on roman dice games and stuff but at our first event we had planned on playing 2's and 5's with the Kids. made nice chunky dice out of wood and burnt on the Dots

I think if i was to do it, i'd probably get a Coin Die, as this would be great for making this money but also as a fund raiser to get kids to knock out Their own coins in exchange for Legal tender

[Materfamillias]

Try this chap
http://www.grunal.com/

Dave the monyer, does coin dies and has an online catalogue.

Deb

[Lucius Duccius Rufinus]

Try this chap
http://www.grunal.com/

Dave the monyer, does coin dies and has an online catalogue.

Deb

i've already tried contact grunal about their coin dies

and what is Dave the monyer's link do you know?

Cheers
Regards
Kevin

[rogue_artist]

hmmm... the fellow above with the die is interesting! Hammering them at an actual event would be fun too!

Ive read over his website and I think I can do that. Next time Im out getting scrap metal, Ill grab some round stock and see about trying this out! Looks like fun!

I bet if I used chalk and dry-brushed it on the raised portions of a coin, it would transfer mostly to the unmade die. That would make a good starting point for carving the design. It would pretty much be "connect the dots" LOL

Lead-free zinc would be cheap (and non-toxic which is more important). In fact aluminum (for the kids) would be really cheap and easy to hammer! Heck, you can use the camp fire to soften the metal a bit. It doesnt have to be melted into a globule/ingot.

In fact, what I am planing on using for the metal is *really* cheap. )

-Jason

[Lugorix]

Interesting topic, and quite timely. Over the weekend we demonstrated making some coins. I wonder why you would want to cast the kinds of coins that were once struck. Struck coins have a certain beauty to them. Casting coins would not be as efficient since you are left with mold waste, having to trim sprues and the added time to burnout and all that mess.

Striking them is easy and fun. The hardest thing to do was decide on what coin design to reproduce. Naturally we limited ourselves to Coreiltauvi designs. The dies are mild steel rescued from my scrap pile, not even tempered. The tin was so soft that stiking them is a cinch.

How we make coin blanks:
The metal we used for these coins was soldering wire: lead-free, flux-free, almost 100% tin. We cut 3 inches of wire per coin, coiled the short length and placed them in an open mold. The mold was nothing more than a 3/4 inch diameter by 1/2" deep hole in a non-flamable block. The coils of wire were heated in the mold to melt into a disc, and dumped into water to cool fast so as to anneal them.

At the festival we took turns striking coins. We probably gave away 200 or more coins over the weekend to children that came by to see what were here doing. The dies we used show no wear, but the sledge hammer now needs to be redressed.

Some pics:

[jvrjenivs]

Very nice set up! Realy nice to see some live coining on events.

I wonder why you would want to cast the kinds of coins that were once struck.

I can imagine you can more education when you also cast coins. There're finds of cast coin moulds, copied from original coins, most possibly made for illegal purposes. This can be re-enact. (So stamp coins from the proper material) and cast them from lower metals. Now you can also show them how currentcy was converted within the Roman empire, how was checked coins were real, etc.

[Magnus]

That is COOL!

[rogue_artist]

Excellent Lugorix!

Actually I had originally thought of casting them before I read about hammering them. I had not realized hammering them would be so easy.

Im very excited to hear that others are having fun with the same project! Now I have more confidence that next summer it will be a welcome addition to events.

This winter I will work on the dies and then post some pictures.

Lugorix, what did you use for carving the design into the die? I have some sculpting tools, but they are made for clay

Thanks ever so kindly for showing us those pictures!!
-Jason

[Lugorix]

Lugorix, what did you use for carving the design into the die? I have some sculpting tools, but they are made for clay

I used a Dremel tool and some punches. I learned that most of the designs, on Celtic coins anyway, could really be done almsot entirely with punches. Roman coins have more detail and lettering which makes for a challenge.

Good luck on your project and have fun with it.

[Nathan Beal]

I used a Dremel tool and some punches. I learned that most of the designs, on Celtic coins anyway, could really be done almsot entirely with punches. Roman coins have more detail and lettering which makes for a challenge.

From experience, the whole die face can be made up using punches (and possibly for some of the later medieval coins a little tiny bit of engraving). As far as i am aware that is how all coin dies were made until relatively recently (where engraving from a larger sculpture takes over).

N.