Item number: A1177

Year: AD 1744

Material: Sliver

Size: 28.5 x 28.6 x 1.2 mm

Weight: 9.95 g

Manufactured by: Antwerp Mint

Provenance: Jeans Elsen & ses Fils 2024

This is a token issued by the Austrian Netherlands, minted in Antwerp in AD 1744. The obverse features a central coat of arms with a lion, symbolising Flanders, surmounted by a crown and encircled by a laurel wreath. The surrounding Latin inscription, “PRINCIPIS AD NUTUM,” translates to “To the beginning of the bidding”

The reverse features a central image of a screw coin press, with tools and coins in the process of being made scattered across the workbench. The Latin inscription above, “ET LEGE ET PONDERE,” translates to “By law and by weight,” while the inscription below, “MONETA,” represents “currency.”

From the Classical period to the Middle Ages, most coin production relied on manual labour through hammering. Beginning in the 16th century, the production of coins gradually started to incorporate mechanical assistance. The roller press, for instance, used metal strips fed through rollers to impress designs, followed by cutting into individual coins. The screw press, on the other hand, utilised torque to generate pressure, replacing traditional hammering methods. After the Industrial Revolution, screw presses were paired with steam engines, further increasing efficiency in coin production.

物件編號: A1177

年代: 公元 1744 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 28.5 x 28.6 x 1.2 mm

重量: 9.95 g

製造地: 安特衛普造幣廠

來源: 比利時 Jean Elsen & ses Fils拍賣 2024

這是一枚奧屬尼德蘭發行的安特衛普造幣廠代幣，發行時間為公元1744年。正面中央為帶有雄獅的紋章，作為佛蘭德斯的象徵，上方附有王冠，外側則以月桂葉裝飾。外圈拉丁銘文「PRINCIPIS AD NUTUM」的意思為自受委託開始。

反面中央則是一臺螺旋壓幣機，工作臺上則散落工具及製作中的錢幣，上方拉丁銘文「ET LEGE ET PONDERE」的意思為依照法規重量，下方的銘文「MONETA 」則代表貨幣。

自古典時期至中世紀間，絕大部分的錢幣製造仍是依賴人力手工打製。公元16世紀開始錢幣的生產逐漸依賴機械的幫助，輪轉壓幣機是將長條金屬板放入滾輪進行壓模，之後進行裁切。而螺旋壓幣機則是以力矩做為應力取代傳統的手工打造，並在工業革命後搭配蒸汽機使用，進而提高生產效率。