Franklin Peale Peale designed a new machine to cut planchets, or blanks, from metal strips. This machine remained in use, almost unmodified, until 1902. Another of the steam-powered machines Peale had installed on his return was a milling machine, which was used to "upset" the coin—to form a rim around it. A Contamin portrait lathe was imported from France and installed at the Philadelphia Mint in 1837. Prior to this time, all coin dies for American coins had to be made individually, by hand at Philadelphia. Once the lathe was installed, they could be reproduced mechanically by the pantograph-like device. The first
Kyle Blanks the minors. Blanks was called up on May 5, after Xavier Nady was designated for assignment. Blanks only played 5 games for the Padres in 2014, getting 2 hits in 10 at bats. On May 15, 2014, the Padres traded Blanks to the Oakland Athletics for Jake Goebbert and minor leaguer Ronald Herrera. He was designated for assignment on November 28, 2014. On December 15, 2014, the Texas Rangers signed Blanks to a minor league contract with a base salary of $1 million, and $600,000 in performance related bonuses if he made the big league roster. Blanks appeared in 18