Why are coins and bars stamped at all

tneig

Why bother to have a fancy image, or design. Can't they just cut the piece out of the sheet and save a lot of expense. If they want to spam the weight in on a 10oz maybe, but isn't all a mind game of making them seem more legit. After all, does the work of a fancy design mean its more credible, esp in these days of fakes?

Timbuk3

That's right !!! It's all about marketing.

AUandAG

Certainly the design on circulating coins deters a lot of counterfeiting (or at least it used to).

bob

tneig

Up until recent times, do you think there were always PMs used in the coinage of money systems?

btw; Is any nation left using current PM coinage?

PerryHall

The earliest Greek and Roman coins were used to convey news to the masses who had no news publications and couldn't read them anyway---new public works that were built (buildings, viaducts, bridges, etc), military victories, the Emperor or King, favored gods, etc. The designs also made the coin more difficult to counterfeit and the design helped to identify the value of the coin. In modern times the designs helped sell NCLT coins to collectors, investors, and the general public.

ARCO

<< <i>Why bother to have a fancy image, or design. Can't they just cut the piece out of the sheet and save a lot of expense. If they want to spam the weight in on a 10oz maybe, but isn't all a mind game of making them seem more legit. After all, does the work of a fancy design mean its more credible, esp in these days of fakes? >>

Your argument would be more credible if you changed your screen icon from that beautiful Peace dollar to an image of an undifferentiated chunk of silver.

You would answer your own question too.

Tyler

OnlyGoldIsMoney

I believe the Lydians had something to do with it.