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
Metal Couture Metal Couture Metal Couture is a type of adornment or fashion item, made of metal, generally made as art, for fashion photography or high-end couture catwalk. The pieces are generally larger and more significant than jewellery, and are generally worn (either as headpieces or more like clothing), rather than decorating the body like jewellery. In differentiating Metal couture from Jewellery, as one off pieces, and generally not practical or useful for the wearer, they are more akin to art, than a standard item of jewellery. They may cover the torso, the neck, the head, or any part of the body.