The first "coins" were lumps of silver or bronze used as barter items. The first true coins; pieces of metal marked with a design that instantly showed it to be money, were made during the 7th century B.C. in the kingdom of Lydia (in the area of modrn Turkey). These were weighed lumps of electrum (a natural mixture of silver and gold) stamped with an identifying symbol. Shortly after this date, in China, coins were being make of bronze by casting.
The stamping of a design continued as the western method for 2,500 years. Screw presses and roller presses were improvements introduced in the 16th century. In the late 1700's steam power was used to stamp the coins and since then the advent of the electic press has modernized the minting of coins. |