Following the emergence of coins, manufacturing evolved. As we have seen, it all began with blobs of electrum, proceeding with gold and silver, where both sides were marked with a punch, either with the king's face, or a hole in the back to check purity.

Later, as we'll explore in a subsequent section, the Greeks refined this technology by creating round coins that were hammered on both sides. They would take a smooth, flat piece of precious metal, engrave the desired design on one side, and then hammer it by hand to create the finished coin.

The technology of hand minting coins individually likely played a role in controlling inflation during that time, even though the coins were often diluted to increase production. This was particularly evident during the Roman period and, to a lesser extent, during certain wars in the Greek period. While minting coins one at a time limited the authority's capacity for mass production, it effectively contributed to inflation control, despite the significant devaluations that occurred. This marked the evolution from a punched blob of metal to a round, hammered coin.

In the Middle Ages, there was also a trend of spreading coins out, making them wider and thinner. One reason for this was that it became easier to test their sound, which was often used as an indicator of authenticity. By spreading the silver out, a distinct frequency was produced, so people could validate the coin's purity simply by listening to it. This practice gave birth to the term "sound money". In the context of sound money, the standard weight was determined by using a balance scale or "trebuchet" for weighing. Thus, the evolution continued from small, round coins to slightly thinner, wider coins.

A major technological development at the end of the Middle Ages was the introduction of the screw press, often referred to as pendulum striking. It was a kind of screw that was tightened to strike the coins, thus generating coins with this new form of striking. What was special about this development was the ability to engrave a pattern on the surface of the coin to address the issue of clipping. Clipping involved removing a portion of the coin to reclaim precious silver, which could then be used to mint other coins or simply retained as a resource.

This technology helped mitigate clipping. It originated in France, and English mints later hired French engineers to implement the machines. Despite its advantages—higher production volume and enhanced security against counterfeiting—the screw press faced resistance from proponents of traditional hammer minting, which delayed its widespread adoption. Eventually, this new technology prevailed, leading to coins with edge designs, such as reeding or inscriptions, specifically implemented to prevent clipping. These features remain a standard security measure on modern coinage.