Definition

• Points.  The tapered ends on decorations or unusual shaped medallic items, as rays or ends of arms as on a cross. Many decorations and crosses have arms that end in such points; since these are intended to be worn, designers have sought to treat the sharp points so they do not stick in cloth (or skin!). These treatments have included blunt points, rounded points, but the most artistic is the ball-tip points. The Maltese cross, for example, has eight such points. Other point terms come from heraldry: the point at the bottom of a medallic shield is a base point. Pointed corners at the top of a shield are chief points. Points on arms shaped like a Y are called croisette. Points that extend beyond the normal edge of a medallic item are called hyperdimensional.

  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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