- Process:
- Coin Ideas
- Artwork
- Sculpt
- Dies
- Melt
- Extruding
- Rolling
- Blanking
- Polishing
- Striking
- Finishing
- Packaging & Display
The Melt
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We're proud of the fact that we're a full-service mint, with the capability of completing every step of the minting process on site at our 42,000 square-foot facility. Our unparalleled expertise in working with metals in every form and at every stage of the production process is evident in the tangible quality of each product we create.
Creating the Billet
In our on-site metal processing facility, gold and silver are melted down and poured into billets. These are then pressed through a small rectangular opening, drawing them into long thin strips of soft annealed metal.
Once the billets are created, it is time to extrude them into long, flat strips.
Would you like more information on the types of minted items available from Northwest Territorial Mint? Request a FREE information packet with detailed information about custom coins and other minted products.
The earliest known coins were struck in Lydia and Ionia (modern western Turkey) from electrum, a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver. Each coin blank was cast to a predetermined weight. Then the blank was heated to a malleable temperature and struck with a hammer between two engraved dies. These archaic coins usually depict a symbol of the city or ruler on the obverse and a crude punch mark on the reverse. They were the world's first true coins because they were composed of a scarce metal, of a consistent weight, and guaranteed by a government.
