Coin dies and silver penny of Edward III
From the mint of Durham, northern England, AD 1350s
Medieval coin-striking
Coins in medieval Europe were always struck using iron dies. The
design would be punched or engraved into the dies back to front, so
that it would be the right way round on the coin. The lower die
(the pile), would be mounted in a wooden block, and a blank piece
of metal placed on top. The upper die (the trussel), would be
struck with a hammer, pressing the design into the blank. The
trussel has a slightly mushroom-shaped top as a result of being
struck with the hammer, and the pile has a spike to mount it in the
block.
These matching dies date from the 1350s, in the reign of Edward
III of England (1327-77). The upper die has the design for the back
of the coin, and shows that the die was used at Durham. These dies
are part of a larger group found in Westminster Abbey. Many of the
dies are worn, and others have blank faces. This suggests that they
were sent to London to be re-cut when they wore out. The coin shows
what a coin from these dies would have looked like, although it was
struck from different dies of the same type.
M.M. Archibald, J.R.S. Lang and G. Milne, 'Four Early Medieval coin dies from the London waterfront', Numismatic Chronicle-10, 155 (1995), pp. 163-200
D. Sellwood, 'Medieval minting techniques', British Numismatic Journal-3, 31 (1962), pp. 57-65
J. Cribb, Money: from cowrie shells to c (London, The British Museum Press, 1986)