PUNCHEON, PUNCHIN, or Punction, a little block or piece of steel, on one end of which is some figure, letter, or mark, engraved either en creux or in relief, and impressions of which are taken on metal or some other matter, by striking it with a hammer on the end not engraved. There are various kinds of these puncheons used in the mechanical arts; such, for instance, are those of the goldsmiths, cutters, pewterers, and others.
The puncheon, in coining, is a piece of iron steeled, on which the engraver has cut in relief the several figures, arms, effigy, inscription, or the like, that there are to be in the matrices wherewith the species are to be marked. Minters distinguish three kinds of puncheons, according to the three kinds of matrices to be made; that of the effigy, that of the cross or arms, and that of the legend or inscription. The first includes the whole portrait in relief; the second is small, containing only a piece of the cross or arms, as a fleur-de-lis, a harp, or a coronet, by the assemblage of all which the entire matrix is formed; the puncheons of the legend contain only one letter each, and serve equally for the legend on the effigy side and the cross side. (See the article COINAGE.)
PUNCHEON is also the name of several iron tools, of various sizes and figures, used by the engravers en creux on metals. Seal-engravers particularly use a great number for the several pieces of arms, and other devices to be engraved, and many stamp the whole seal from a single puncheon.
PUNCHEON is also a common name for all the iron instruments used by stone-cutters, sculptors, blacksmiths, and others, for the cutting, inciding, or piercing their several matters.
Those of sculptors and statuary serve for the repairing of statues when taken out of the moulds. The locksmiths use the greatest variety of puncheons; some for piercing hot, others for piercing cold; some flat, others square; some round, others oval; each to pierce holes of its respective figure in the several parts of locks.