mother coin

母銭 ／ mother-coin　—　Making

The model coin used to make the mould.

Karshapana (combination of marks)400–300 BC Fuhonsenc. AD 683 Grivna of Novgorod (silver bar)13th–15th centuries

A mold is made by pressing a mother coin into sand, and metal is poured into it to create circulation coins. ⚠ The more times a copy is made, the thicker the characters and rounder the outlines become. This is why, even for coins of the same name, later issues have more blurred lettering.