Jean Castaing

Castaing introduced other ideas, including the reforming and recoining of already existing French coins with edge lettering to reduce instances of counterfeiting and raise money for King Louis XIV's efforts in the Nine Years' War.

[1] In the sixteenth century, the French engineer Aubin Olivier introduced to France the coin press, to which he added a split collar capable of creating edge lettering.

[4] Blondeau introduced a method for edge lettering which he claimed was considerably faster and less costly than the earlier, well-known technology, but he maintained secrecy in regards to the device.

[7] In 1686, however, Castaing's proposal was approved by the Council of State, and he entered into a contract to install his machine at the various French mints.

[8] In 1688, Castaing proposed a method of reshaping and restriking existing coins, both as a response to counterfeiting and to help the Louis XIV raise money to support the Nine Years' War.

[9] In 17 months of his contract, a deficit of 150,000 livres was discovered at the Paris Mint, and Masselin was charged with stealing the pieces.

[9] On 21 March 1700, Castaing was arrested on charges of malversation, including using inaccurate scales to weigh the coins prior to their being reminted and stealing.