Sequin (coin) who was prominently depicted on it, it was called the ', after the Zecca (mint) of Venice, since 1543 when Venice began minting a silver coin also called a ducat. The name of the mint ultimately derives from ("), meaning a coin mould or die. In some regions, in later centuries, this type of coins were stitched to women's clothing such as headdresses – this eventually led to the origin of the more modern word "sequins" to denote small shiny, circular decorations. Following the Venetian model, similar coins were used for centuries throughout the Mediterranean. After two hundred years of
Adam Eckfeldt of what is now the United States revolted, and so the United States of America secured its independence. After the United States Constitution was ratified, Congress and many government offices came to be housed in Philadelphia, including the newborn Mint of the United States. Adam Eckfeldt built the first screw press for the new facility in 1792, the same year that the Mint Act of 1792 was passed by Congress authorizing a mint, and cut the obverse die for the experimental Birch cent of that year. He also built other machinery for the Mint, and helped superintend the early coining.