This is where it all comes together. Every ounce of thought, time, effort, cost, energy, and meticulous attention to detail merges within an unforgiving, zero-tolerance world. When everything goes right, you feel it—goosebumps, seriously. But when it doesn’t, sometimes it makes you want to throw up.
Our very first strike on our new system shattered our first reeded collar. To call that moment heartbreaking is an enormous understatement.
This world is unlike anything most people have ever experienced—despite the fact that everyone has handled coins at some point. Few ever stop to wonder, “What really goes into making a coin?” We can answer that—your very soul!
To make a coin, first you need the desire. Then you need the tools. But what kind of tools? Well, sometimes they’re insanely complex — like the 3D software we use: Autodesk Maya. Maya is so wildly complicated that after 18 years of working with it, we still only consider ourselves intermediate to semi-advanced users.
It’s not just about modeling; you have to model specifically for laser output. Then, you need to export the design to a 3D laser engraver. But before you start engraving, your laser engraver has to be perfectly calibrated.
And what about the die? Glad you asked. You can’t just use any steel — it must be the right type, or it will fail. Coining dies cannot bend or warp under pressure, so they must be heat treated. And before engraving, the die must be polished to a flawless mirror finish.
Do you know how challenging it is to polish steel to a true mirror finish? It takes immense skill and patience. Then comes the sculpt — which must perfectly match the diameter of the die. For example, with a large 80mm diameter die, you face roughly a 75% reduction in pressure across the coin’s surface. That means if you want a high-relief coin, you may need to prepare specialty blanks specifically for striking.
Once the dies are fully polished and engraved, they undergo electroplating to create a durable, mirrored surface. But electroplating isn’t just a quick step — it’s an entire precise process in itself, involving complex electrochemistry that is incredibly unforgiving. Every stage requires exact preparation and control to ensure the final product meets the highest standards.
Once all the dies are prepared, the next step is readying the blank planchets — the circular metal discs that will become the coins. These blanks must be carefully weighed to the exact required specifications, polished to a flawless mirror finish, and meticulously cleaned to ensure they are absolutely pristine before striking.
Another crucial decision is the metal purity level. Do you want 99.9% pure metal, or 99.99%? That extra “nine” isn’t just a number — it carries significant implications for quality, appearance, and value. At Beaverworks, we exclusively work with the highest commercially available purity metals to ensure every coin meets our exacting standards.
Once you have both a perfectly mirrored die and a flawlessly polished blank, you’re ready to proceed. For a proof-quality coin, striking it once isn’t enough — it needs to be struck under high pressure at least twice to achieve that mirror-like finish and crisp detail. In the case of our ultra-high relief Silver Maple, it actually required about 20 strikes to fully drive the metal into the deep recesses of the dies.
The striking chamber must be absolutely clean and dust-free to avoid any imperfections. But when everything goes perfectly… wow. There’s truly nothing more breathtaking than pulling a flawless proof coin from the press.
The coin is immediately handled with latex gloves and sealed inside an airtight capsule to preserve that pristine finish. If you ever touch the surface of a proof coin with bare fingers, the oils will permanently mar the finish — and trust us, we’ve tried cleaning it. It can never be restored to its original perfection.
So if you’re handling proof coins, remember: latex gloves are a must.
Over the past six years and 18,000 hours of dedicated work, we’ve built our operation entirely from the ground up. Mastering these complex processes hasn’t been easy, but we engineered our system to deliver faster turnaround times than most other mints.
When a finished coin finally emerges, meeting our exacting standards, that’s when we give it the green light—unless additional features like selective plating, full-color printing, or serialized edge markings are requested. Each of these finishing touches requires its own specialized process, and we continue to develop and refine these systems to ensure every coin is flawless.
Despite the significant investment of time, money, and energy in developing our system, we have yet to launch full-scale production simply because we weren’t ready. We understand that rushing to market without the ability to deliver on time or meet our own high standards is the quickest way to lose credibility. Fortunately, our exceptional and discerning collectors appreciate this commitment—they are patient because, in the end, they seek the quality and experience that only a truly stunning minted coin can provide.
