Engraved coins, together with the counterstamped coins described below, make up the broader group termed countermarked coins.  They are separated here because two different methods were used to produce them.  The engraved dental pieces are the earliest dental tokens excluding 17^th century barber-surgeon tokens.

Counterstamped coins are turned into advertising tokens by use of a metal punch usually with raised letters, which is then struck to stamp the coin.  Occasionally the punch has incised lettering producing a counterstamp in relief.  Most counterstamps are produced from a punch with all the letters on the same stamp, while some are punched out with individual letters.