Metal is the material basis of coinage and, for this reason, understanding it is essential. This course provides a general introduction to the metallic composition of coins, from the factors involved in their manufacture to those affecting their physical preservation. The first session will explore the various possible sources of the metal. It will also present the most commonly used coinage alloys, numismatic terminology, and the different official minting processes carried out at mints, as well as the methods employed by counterfeiters throughout history.

 

The second session will focus on the study and care of coined metal with the aim of preserving it. On the one hand, it will address the conservation of coins in the best possible conditions in accordance with preventive conservation criteria and protocols. On the other, it will examine the various forms of deterioration affecting metals recovered from archaeological contexts or kept in unsuitable environments, which require remedial interventions as part of the restoration process.

 

Finally, the last session will offer participants the opportunity to gain practical knowledge of the equipment and operation of non-destructive X-ray techniques for the analysis of metallic alloys and the information they provide. These techniques are used not only to determine the authenticity or falsity of coins, but above all to identify their precise chemical composition and to observe variations across large series of coin issues.

 

Dr Albert Estrada-Rius

Chief Curator, Numismatic Cabinet of Catalonia