A Question about minting coins...

anablep

As soon as a coin is minted, do you think it is hot to the touch due to friction & pressure from the dies? Are the dies hot too? If so, how much heat can they tolerate? Does this play into the longevity of the dies?

Sorry for all the quesitons, just pondering these things...

kieferscoins

I have been on numerous floor tours at the Denver Mint and we have been able to touch the coins as they fall out of the coining chamber. The coins are hot, not burning hot but very warm for the first few seconds in your hand. I imagine the dies are much hotter but the metal can take hundreds of degrees of heat and it shouldn't have too much effect on the designs.

Cameron Kiefer

anablep

Makes sense that the dies would be hotter considering the repetative minting of coins. Thanks kieferscoins!

cladking

It's largely the deformation of the metal that causes the heat. The dies will get
much of their heat from the coins they strike. Temperature does play at least a
small role in the quality of the strike and in the way the coins are minted. Warmer
planchet temperatures will result in more metal movement.