Copper Coins Hammered Between a Pile and a Trussel

Until machines took over in the 1600s, coins were hammered: a blank laid on the lower die, the pile, sunk in a log, and the upper die, the trussel, held on top and struck with a hammer, stamping both faces at once. Cut round blanks from copper sheet and strike them the same way. The picture: a carved moneyer with hammer and trussel, the pile beside him.