"...thought it odd that the two holes were punched from opposite sides, one punched front to back, one punched back to front ( as shown by the remnants of the cone created by driving a sharp implement through the metal )."
I think I see the reason for the holes coming from different directions. The design on the disc is repousse work, where the thin metal is hammered from the back side to create a raised design. If one tried to drill or punch a hole where there was a hollow under the thin metal it would distort the design. You would flip the piece whichever way would put the thin metal directly against a firm backing surface (like a block of wood or lead) before you tried to punch a hole at that spot. The hole on the left was in a depressed area of the design, so it could be punched without flipping the disc onto its face.
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