casting

鋳造　—　Making

Making coins by pouring molten metal into a mould.

Oaxaca Cast Eight Reales1814 Croeseidc. BC 550 Spade moneyWarring States period

For two thousand years, East Asian cash coins were made almost exclusively by this method. While dozens of coins could be made at once, it was difficult to produce fine details.

⚠ Cast coins retain traces of the sprue (the channel through which the metal flowed). The coins, arranged like fruit on a branch, were broken off one by one to be finished.