How to Make Homemade Coin Dies for Coin Making | Custom Currency

My blacksmith husband made a homemade die to make coins with to use for medieval reenactment. To make a coin die, my husband pounds the image in with punches. Follow along as he shows step by step on how he punches the pattern into the die.
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Once the coin dies have been made, he sets one die on the bottom side, puts a blank coin in the middle, and puts the other coin die on the top side. Once this is set up, he takes a hammer and beats the impression into the coin. Voilà, a coin has been made!
For anyone curious about what exactly the 'SCA' is -- The Society for Creative Anachronism is an international, non-profit educational organization that studies and recreates the medieval and Renaissance years of 600-1600AD.
For more information and to locate your local branch, please check out www.sca.org
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Music credit:
"Arthur Vyncke - Breaking the siege" is under a Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) license.
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#coin #die #coinmakingmethod

[@LynneFairchild]

Do you have any questions about coin die making for my husband?

[@cavtroop50]

Hi yes, where did he get the striking anvil? Thank you!

[@LynneFairchild]

@@cavtroop50 Harbor Freight

[@AhmetlolakLolak]

What type of metal did you use in the coin? ​@@LynneFairchild

[@LynneFairchild]

The coin blanks are aluminum. My husband has also used brass and copper before. He's never used pewter or silver, but they're on the list.

[@goodbuddysal]

What specific kind of steel is used for die?

[@EtnoZam]

Very nice video. Gives a perspective on how ancient coin dies were produced. Before the iron age they initially used bronze dies which lasted about 250 strikes until they had to be replaced. Imagine how many artisans only engaged in die making sat in cities like Athens at 500BC which struck millions of bronze, silver and gold coins using bronze dies. entire lifetimes of making perfect dies.

[@LynneFairchild]

Thank you. It's interesting to think about that!

[@abelink9229]

Say, if you strike hard enough for the impression to be deep, would it be feasible to reverse the coin and strike again? It probably wouldn't flatten out the opposite side, right?

[@LynneFairchild]

It would work better if you made a duplicate die and then struck the coin, creating the same pattern on both sides at the same time.

[@nolanwirth7477]

Phenomenal video!!! I loved every second, great work!!! You have a new subscriber 🙏🏼

[@LynneFairchild]

Wonderful! 😀 Thank you!

[@ericball1137]

Loved it. I appreciate the level of detail shared in the overview. It would be great if he brought us along on any future die cutting or striking adventures!

[@LynneFairchild]

I'll pass the message along. 😀

[@hvitis]

Super easy idea. Thank you

[@LynneFairchild]

You're welcome.

[@raymondbrown940]

Excellent video. Thank you for sharing.

[@LynneFairchild]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@SaintGraeme]

Super cool! I’d love to make a bunch of coins like that to hand them out to people

[@LynneFairchild]

Thanks! Making coins is something that we do for the SCA to use for site tokens or to put in our gambling boxes (since real money is not used).

[@manuelkong10]

the off center strike looked VERY realistic

[@LynneFairchild]

Thanks.

[@zacharylindahl]

Hey that's awesome! Might have to try this out, I have a spare bit of rail track I can use as a dedicated anvil. Now I will have to do a deep dive on old coins. I was in the SCA back in highschool about 15-20 years ago and this makes me want to check if there's a local group lol

[@LynneFairchild]

Thanks! You should check it out. Good luck with your rail track!

[@brunalnono2920]

Nice work, seems pretty clear and "looks quite easy to do" Thank you sir ;)

[@LynneFairchild]

On behalf of my husband, thank you.

[@brunalnono2920]

@@LynneFairchild Thank you both for all the knoledge sharing !

[@LynneFairchild]

😀

[@cryptoclyps5049]

Nice! No molten lava required!

[@LynneFairchild]

🙂

[@mantaray4887]

so cool!

[@LynneFairchild]

Thanks!

[@buzzpatch2294]

thanks

[@LynneFairchild]

You're welcome.

[@vm.999]

Liked and subscribed!

[@LynneFairchild]

Thank you!

[@ohary1]

pretty cool. Is copper softer than aluminum?

[@LynneFairchild]

Thanks! Copper is harder than aluminum.

[@lelearmi6186]

Greetings . Can I create a disk cutter with simple mild steel, to cut 2.4mm brass disks? the disk cutter that I would like to make in mild steel, I would like to use it in a hydraulic press; will it last?

[@LynneFairchild]

Nope, it will work for a few repetitions, but it won't last. Brass is harder than you would expect. The reason mild steel works okay for coining dies is that we're relying on the compressive strength of the center of the rod, and not using the edges at all. On a disc cutter, all the work is being done by the edges, and the strength and stiffness of the material simply isn't up to the task.

[@JewelryDeconstructed]

I am a jeweler, hobbyist blacksmith, hobbyist coin maker, and researcher. Guess what. If you fake it long enough you become what you re faking. ❤

[@LynneFairchild]

I'll pass that along to my husband.

[@cmchandelier]

What material does the die need to be? Is steel strong enough?

[@LynneFairchild]

Mild steel is fine for striking aluminum, pewter, copper and fine silver, but it wears quickly on brass and sterling. You have a choice to work with stronger steels like 4140 that are more difficult to work, or just refreshing your dies when they become worn.

[@DavidJohnson-kn3jo]

Do you harden your die and how many impressions do you seem to get before you see deterioration?

[@LynneFairchild]

No, I don't normally harden my dies. I strike very hard because I like my coins to have very deep impressions, and that wears out dies quickly, so after about 1000 strikes, my dies are pretty worn down. I use mild steel for coining dies, which cannot be hardened. My experience has been that working with hardenable steels is so much more difficult to carve and stamp that it's a lot less work to refresh a worn mild steel die than it is to make a more durable one, and I rarely need more than 1000 of any design I've ever made. When I do see dies wearing out, what happens is that the face of the die will cup in, because the coin blanks are actually stamping themselves into the face of the die at the same time the die is stamping the pattern into the blank. So, the pattern does not really wear out, but it sinks below the perimeter and gives lighter impressions. So, if I need to restore a die, I simply sand down the face until the die is flat again, and usually have to re-stamp the beaded border. I have never had to retouch the primary design in the center.

[@samellowery]

Look into case hardening

[@fhr13]

what kind of steel is better for coin dies?

[@LynneFairchild]

Normal 1 inch mild steel. It's A6 or A36. If you wind up really getting into coining and accumulate specialized tools for carving dies, you can experiment with medium and high carbon steels. But, for the first few years, mild steel will do everything you want it to and will probably take 1,000 strikes before you see any deformation.

[@fhr13]

@@LynneFairchild i think D2 steel is better

[@LynneFairchild]

My husband said absolutely not for D2 steel, which is a high carbon tool steel. It's going to be an absolute nightmare to work into the appropriate shape. If you have a laser cutter that can do the shaping for you, or if you have all carbide cutting tools, then fair enough- it's an outstanding steel. However, in medieval coining, we're doing the bulk of our shaping with punchers and hand engravers. The advantage you get from using a tool and die steel is that it doesn't deform after tens of thousands of impressions. You will never make that many coins of any single design. Mild steel is just fine for purpose.

[@johngalt166]

Nice voice!

[@LynneFairchild]

On his behalf, thank you.

[@jagdishsitoljagdishsitole38]

Nice brother One dai how much price

[@LynneFairchild]

Thank you. My husband doesn't make coin dies for sale.

[@reaperlord0]

Can i not use the big machine at the beginning of the video

[@LynneFairchild]

Are you asking if you can only use that machine to accomplish this, or are you asking if you can make a die without the machine?

[@reaperlord0]

@@LynneFairchild your second question.

[@LynneFairchild]

@@reaperlord0 My husband said you can make a die with files and sandpaper. The machines just help speed up the process.

[@reaperlord0]

@@LynneFairchild ty both of y'all

[@LynneFairchild]

@@reaperlord0 Happy to help!

[@Name-ot3xw]

Is there a functional reason that one couldn't use a 20 ton bottle jack-press instead of a hammer strike?

[@LynneFairchild]

My husband said no, there's no reason. But he thinks 20 tons is not enough. A hammer strike provides more of a momentary force rather than a constant force.

[@samellowery]

The plasticity of metal is what you need to look at a press is slowly increasing pressure where as a hammer strick is a quick hit it has to deal with the atoms of metal and how the are moved

[@sixfigureskibum]

20 ton bottle frame press is OK for a 19mm silver or gold. It takes me about 30 strokes on the jack per 1/10 silver coin. That's 6 to cut the round and 24 to press the coin. I find I need to rotate and restrike 3 times to get a good strike

[@manjsher3094]

The pressure and speed of strike is to be considered, also 1 vs 3 vs 6 strike. Tool Maker since 1994.

[@sjoerdstougie]

where do you get par stock? and what is it?

[@LynneFairchild]

My husband is not choosy about where he gets the bar stock. OnlineMetals, McMaster, it doesn't matter. It's just normal A6 mild steel. He has even been known to use #10 rebar before.

[@sjoerdstougie]

@@LynneFairchild ah thanks, i'm not english/american and new to this type of work so i had difficulty understanding what he meant but thanks!!

[@LynneFairchild]

You're welcome.

[@sjoerdstougie]

@@LynneFairchild quick question, can you use normal chasing tools on steel or iron rods like this? this is maybe more directed to your husband but i'm curious if chasing the design into steel is relatively easy or if i should try engraving or if i should try other softer metals

[@LynneFairchild]

He chases designs directly into mild steel with chasing tools. This ONLY works with mild steel, though. He has experimented with medium carbon steels like 4140, and the difference is so stark that the techniques he shows in the video are unusable.

[@andersonvieirasouza1101]

Hello, can you make one of these for me with the drawing I send you?

[@LynneFairchild]

I will ask my husband.

[@andersonvieirasouza1101]

@@LynneFairchild I can pay good money.

[@LynneFairchild]

My husband suggested contacting Alpha Officium or James Cauffman.

[@manuelkong10]

I wonder if you could make dies for me?

[@LynneFairchild]

I'm busy with other unfinished projects at this time.

[@andrewnansen9463]

I'm very interested I would like to have a few coin of my design would you be interested to make some coin for me I would pay for the coin but can you cast my design

[@LynneFairchild]

My apologies, but currently my husband has his plate full with projects.

[@harcoyo5795]

🙏👏👏👏©👍👍👍🙏

[@LynneFairchild]

Thanks!

[@andersonvieirasouza1101]

if i send you the model currency

[@LynneFairchild]

I will ask my husband.

[@kurtmagnus5243]

I have the same question

[@pinakibhome3075]

Low quality shooting. No closeups. But good work. U better don't shoot for your husband.

[@LynneFairchild]

Some videos my husband records, while I record other videos for him.