page_title: History of printing
section_title: Hammered coinage
hierarchical_section_title: History of printing / Hammered coinage
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Ein altes Relief an einer Mauer in Rostock: Ein Münzschläger, Detail des Originalbildes English: Detail from a wall, Rostock, old relief, coinage
context_page_description: The history of printing arguably starts in Mesopotamia as early as the 4th millennium BC, when clay tokens were used to record specific amounts of livestock or commodities. These tokens were initially impressed on the surface of round clay envelopes and then stored in them, and eventually evolved into early writing. Other early forms include block seals, Hammered coinage, pottery imprints, and cloth printing. Woodblock printing on paper originated in China around 200 AD. It led to the development of movable type in the eleventh century and the spread of book production in East Asia. Woodblock printing was also used in Europe, but it was in the fifteenth century that European printers developed a process for mass-producing metal type to support an economical book publishing industry. This industry enabled the communication of ideas and sharing of knowledge on an unprecedented scale. Alongside the development of text printing, new and lower-cost methods of image reproduction were developed, including lithography, screen printing and photocopying.
context_section_description: Hammered coinage was the most common form of coin production between the first millennium BC until the early modern period. Hammered coins were produced by placing a blank piece of metal (a planchet or flan) of the correct weight between two engraved dies, and then striking the upper die with a hammer to produce the required image on both sides. The planchet was usually cast from a mold.  The bottom die (sometimes called the anvil die) was usually counter sunk in a log or other sturdy surface and was called a pile. One of the minters held the die for the other side (called the trussel), in his hand while it was struck either by himself or an assistant
caption: Striking coins: wall relief at Rostock
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