82 Standard Gold and Silver Trial Plates. 



STANDARD GOLD AND SILVER TRIAL PLATES. 



BY JOSEPH NEWTON. 



It has been quaintly but truly stated by an old and celebrated 

 writer on the coinage of Britain, Ruding, that " the wisdom of 

 our ancestors did not consider the private assay within the 

 Mint as a sufficient security for the integrity of the coins issued 

 from it, but required them to be submitted to a public trial by 

 a jury before the Master could receive his discharge ; and this 

 trial was repeated at such short intervals, as to form a sufficient 

 check upon improper issues of the money." It does not appear, 

 however, that the ancients had any such trial, and the first re- 

 cord of one in this country is dated the 24th February, in the 

 32nd year of the reign of Henry III. (a.d. 1248), when the mayor 

 and citizens of London were commanded to " choose twelve of 

 the more discreet and lawful citizens" of the metropolis, with 

 whom were to be associated " twelve skilful goldsmiths" of the 

 same place. These twenty-four persons were to go before the 

 Barons of the Exchequer, and having been sworn, were to 

 examine, together with the Barons, collected samples of both 

 the old and the new money of the realm, and to see that it was 

 made of good silver and according to law, and so to conduct 

 themselves that they might be able to warrant the same money 

 as lawful or otherwise. 



With more or less regularity, similar trials of the weight and 

 fineness of the coin of the realm have taken place up to the 

 year 1861, which is the date of the most recent examination of 

 the gold and silver coins of England. The mode of effecting 

 the trials has varied with the advancement of social and 

 scientific knowledge ; but in principle and object they have re- 

 mained the same, and it is the practice at present to take one 

 or more pieces from every 15 lbs. weight of gold, and one or 

 more pieces from every 60 lbs. weight of silver coins struck at 

 the Royal Mint, and to place them in what is called a " Pyx"* 

 chest, in reserve for the general and public assay of their 

 quality. 



A tolerably explicit account exists in the Records of the 

 Exchequer of a trial of the Pyx which was made in the reign of 

 Queen Elizabeth, and from that document it may not perhaps 

 be considered improper to introduce an extract, verbatim et 

 literatim. It will be found to convey a very good idea of the 

 ceremony, which, as has been stated, has not differed very ma- 

 terially from the days of that monarch to those of her present 

 Majesty. It runs as follows : — 



* The word Pyx is derived from a Greek word, signifying hox. 



