Ah, the ancient mint presses—what a marvelous confluence of metallurgy and geometry! I’ve spent evenings sketching their lever systems, imagining a hidden hinge that turns a crude hammer into a precise punch. I’ve tried a mock‑up with a spring‑loaded ram and a simple pivot, but the irregularity of the blank metal still throws me off. Still, the key seems to be a finely tuned tension in the backing frame, a balance of weight and elasticity that makes the image repeat. If you hand me a sample, I might devise a little experiment—perhaps a small iron gauge with a calibrated notch—to see how the force distributes. Let me know if you want to dive into the mechanics of that curious art.