European Hammered Coins

Before the advent of the Georgian and Victorian mass production methods, Coins had to be struck by hand (literally - a man with a hammer and a die punched them out of sheet silver or gold !) This meant that there were many variations ..especially on Friday afternoons .
Because hammered coins had a wide border,it was very common for peole to slice off an edge of every silver coin that passed through their hands - they would then melt down the slices and sell the silver. This was known as clipping and most medieval coins suffer to a greater or lesser degree.

If you are buying medieval coins then what you really want to get is a coin that has been under graded in condition. Thats why a good book is important - one which shows grading photos.
It can make a tenfold difference in the coins value.
Medieval and earlier coins have different grading from Victorian or 20th century ones..
Always keep the coin sleeve that it came in PARTICULARLY if it came in a descriptive sleeve from a major coin dealer. This will increase its value if you ever resell it.