228 Gold Coinage. [April, 
are cut into lengths of 18 inches, and sent to the ‘‘ trier,” 
who punches out one or two blanks from each length, and 
weighs it or them very carefully, and he allows for a slight 
loss which will afterwards arise from annealing. The fillets 
are next taken into the cutting-out room, where the blanks 
for sovereigns are punched from them ; the rest of the fillet 
then looks like a ribbon full of round holes, and these perfo- 
rated bands or ‘‘ scissel” are returned to the melting-pots. 
The ‘blanks are frequently examined, to see that their 
edges are smooth, and they are frequently weighed: this 
part of the operations is called ‘‘ pounding.” ‘They are then 
put into bags in batches of about 720 ounces. Afterwards 
they are ‘‘rung” by boys, to sort out those which may be 
dumb or cracked. Cracked blanks are caused by bubbles of 
air enclosed in the metal at the time it is cast into bars. 
Next the blanks are taken to the edge-compressing machine, 
which rolls each blank with slight pressure, so as to give a 
“collar” to it. This machine rolls 700 blanks per minute. 
The blanks are afterwards annealed in copper tubes, 
2804 being placed in each tube; the lids of the tubes 
are luted with clay, and then they are placed in a re- 
verberatory furnace for about twenty minutes. They are 
then taken out, and when they are at a.very low red heat, 
or at a temperature lower than that at which copper com- 
bines readily with oxygen, the tubes are plunged into a 
cistern of cold water. When the tubes are cold the blanks 
are removed, and after drying in sawdust they are ready 
for transmission to the coining-press. 
The old atmospheric presses of Watt and Boulton are 
still in use at the Mint, and the obverse and reverse of the 
coin, as we]l as the milling of the edge, is completed at one 
operation. These old presses, which have done their work 
for so long a time, certainly are efficient, and there is no 
doubt that—looking to the nature of the coins produced by 
them—they leave but little to be desired; but a report of a 
Commission which visited the various Mints of Europe states 
that in all the European Mints visited, with the exception 
of Constantinople, the coining is performed by lever presses 
of German or French construction. The noise of the old 
atmospheric press is deafening, and doubtless the advantages 
and disadvantages of substituting the lever press for it will 
be duly weighed. And here we might venture to suggest 
that the designs on the coinage do at least admit of a 
somewhat more artistic treatment than that shown on 
the coins now in circulation. It should be remembered, 
however, that within the last two years Pistrucci’s beautiful 
