The hammer striking process in French medieval mints: study of the amount of scissels in a technical discussion31 august 2009A. Arles*, M. Bompaire*, F. Treygeol**

* IRAMAT - Centre Ernest Babelon, CNRS, Universit dOrlans, France.** IRAMAT - Laboratoire Mtallurgie et Culture and Laboratoire Pierre Se, CNRS-CEA, UTBM, France.

A global studyBlanchet J.A., Dieudonn A., Manuel de numismatique franaise, 4 tomes, Bologne, Italie, Formi Editore, t.2, 1969, t.2, p.23 A technical study of the French medieval hammer minting before the introduction of the balancier process (1645)

The La Rochelle royal mint

The unique medieval French mint excavated until now

P. MilleBetween the XVth and the XVIth centuryMany furnacesMany byproducts of the hammer striking process

The French medieval mintingExperimentations on the paleometallurgical platform of Melle (France)AlloyingShearingHammeringStriking

The hammer striking processTo round and... ... to normalizeThe interventionism of the minting authorities appears important:Many controlsLimitation of the amount of scisselsSome steps of the process have to be made several times

From the square to the blankProduce a very large amount of disks from squares of metal with strict metrological expectations12,5 % of scissels allowed

= limitation ?

SourcesTwo mint accounts studied by Marc Bompaire:The Crmieu mint, account1 from the 14th of December 1419 to the 17th of April 1420The Bayonne mint, account2 from the 2th of January 1555 to the 11th of August 1556The control of the moneyers work allows to evaluate the amount of scissels produced:Crmieu: 188 countsBayonne: 193 counts1 Archive dpartementales de l'Isre, B4403, 1420.2 Archives nationales, Z1b 57, fol. 12, 1556.

Crmieu mintPhoto: www.cgb.frFlorette

Bayonne mint tolerancePhotos: www.cgb.fr

Cutting experimentationsReconstitution of the whole coining process

The burden of monetary laws on the work of moneyersThe only minting process in accordance with the monetary laws guarantees the quality of the coin in shape and weightEnforcing a limitation on the scissels production the monetary authorities encourages the use of the right minting process by the moneyers

ConclusionMultidisciplinary approach:Historical: mint accounts, monetary treatises.ArchaeologicalExperimentalA technical discussion allows to understand a monetary law that may appear as a limitation on the work of the moneyers

The hammer striking process in French medieval mints: study of the amount of scissels in a technical discussion

A. Arles*, M. Bompaire*, F. Treygeol**

* IRAMAT - CNRS, Universit dOrlans.** IRAMAT - Laboratoire Mtallurgie et Culture and Laboratoire Pierre Se, CNRS-CEA, UTBM, France.email: a.arles@free.fr Address: Centre Ernest Babelon, 3D rue de la Frollerie, 45071 Orlans, France.Thank you for your attention.