Definition

• Coin Blank.  A planchet intended to be made into a coin; one of prescribed composition, thickness (gauge), weight and upset, ready to be fed into a coining press. While the thickness may change slightly during coining, the composition and weight must be exactly what the intended coin is to be. Coin blanks must have all prestriking steps done – including annealing and metal cleaning – the blank must be completely ready to be coined.  See blanking.
  Using coin blanks to strike medals.  Coin blanks are obviously intended to strike coins, but on several occasions the United States Mint has struck medals on coin blanks. In 1875 the Philadelphia Mint struck the Mecklenburg Centennial Medal on U.S. silver half dollar blanks. It struck the Philadelphia Sanitary Fair Medalet of 1864 and the New York Masonic Temple Medalet of 1875 on bronze cent blanks. There was not the stigma against using these (like there would be today). There were no "slug laws" in the 19th century. While vending machines existed at the time, they did not exist in the quantity of today and did not have a restriction against creating something that could be used in lieu of a coin in a vending machine or farebox.
  Also coin blanks intended for the coins of one country have been used to strike
  coins for another. An interesting example is when the U.S. zinc-coated steel cent blanks of 1943 were used to strike 2-franc French coins in 1944{?}.
                                                                                                                       

  excerpted with permission from

  An Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Technology

  For Artists, Makers, Collectors and Curators

  COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY D. WAYNE JOHNSON

  Roger W. Burdette, Editor

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