Cutting Coin Dies: Newcomer Token Part 1 

My pleasure. Thank you for watching! Please feel free to let me know if there is anything you want to see in my videos.

Hi Darrin, I use a muller carbide square graver, size 5. If you want to jump into engraving, pick up a square graver and a handle to hold it at somewhere like contenti.com or riogrande.com. I would be glad to assist in any way I can. Please feel free to reach out to my email at twobearmint@ gmail.com

Thank you... I have purchased an engraver since my original query. Ill get the set you suggest also. Its not that i am into engraving... I need make coins for Highguard. I wanted use cnc engraver/mling machine to make my dies... Unfortunately...neither I nor my tech buddy can figure out how to operate the damn thing. So... Its old school...making dies by hand for me. I just bought a ball vise and magnifier tree...and new clean polished 1018 will be ordered payday. Thank you for the help/advise.!!!!!

​@@darrinwebber4077 Glad to hear it. If you provide me with your Email I would be glad to walk you through your project. I can't teach you to engrave, but I can help with the best practices.

Yes! The graver is hardened, high carbon steel while the die is 1018, cold rolled steel. 1018 is not hardenable and is fairly soft, as steel alloys go.

This is a GRS Standard Engraving Block Ball Vise. I buy from Contenti because of their great customer service. contenti.com/grs-standard-engraving-block-ball-vise

Marian, You are not the first to make this accusation, and you will not be the last. I will address you here openly since this seems to have been happening more recently. Not only is your comment ignorant and unguided, but completely unfounded in the intentions of this channel. I am a numismatist and love the history and hobby of coin collecting. My collection grows by the day. I truly love and enjoy the hobby. The work here is only meant to show people what the work of ancient and medieval moneyers may have looked like. Coins connect us to the past in ways most artifacts can't, and my work hopefully can connect our modern minds better with our ancestors who held or even made these coins we enjoy today. None of my coins would pass any sort of inspection at any retail, auction, or private setting. This is by design. I strike coins in aluminum (not a historical coining material), and when I strike in silver, I alter the design to name me as the moneyer. Whenever anyone searches my coins, they will be taken to my website where I clearly designate my work and each coin I have made is specifically there for this purpose. Go ahead and google the coin shown in this series and I guarantee you will find my website or this video as the top result. Anyone with half a second of research will know this is a modern-made coin. I go through painstaking length to ensure my coins CANNOT be passed as true artifacts. I do not even possess the skill to make coins at the level of the ancient masters. If you wish to say I do, then you and I do not collect the same coins. Both of these factors help me ensure that if these leave my possession, they cannot be used for dishonest or illegal means. My work will never and has never been aimed at deceit, so I hope this spells out my opinion on the matter for you. Thanks for watching and supporting the channel!

I would love to make any video youd like to see. Unfortunately milled edges are not in the realm of my ability and is fairly late medieval/ early modern practice.

@@TwoBearMint yeah... I know... I believe US started it to prevent silver shaving from early silver and gold coins. ... I considered using threaded nuts to create a type of reedingn...but I think the threads would lock the coin into the collar. But... I am going test idea someday.

@@darrinwebber4077 No worries! There are people who have this ability to produce milled coinage, I unfortunately do not... It was a process introduced in 1550 indeed to prevent shaving materil from coins and prevent counterfeiting.