COIN. 
753 
inhabitants. Ninety-fix miles north-nortii-eaft ofLifbon. 
Lat. 40. 13.N. Ion. 10. 1 5. E. Ferro. 
COIN, f. [ coigue , Fr.] A corner; any thing Handing 
out angulatly; a fquare brick cut diagonally : called of¬ 
ten quoin, or quitte. 
COIN , f. [by i'ojne imagined to come from cuneus, a 
wedge, becaufi; metal is cut in wedges to be coined.] Mo¬ 
ney damped with a legal impreflion —I cannot tell how 
the poets will fuccee’d in the explication of coins, to which 
they are generally very great ft rangers. Addifon. —Pay¬ 
ment of any kind.—The lofs of prefent advantage to 
flelh and blood, is repaid in a nobler coin. Hammond. 
Coin is a word collective, which contains in it all man¬ 
ner of the feveral ftainps and lpecies of money in any 
kingdom : and this is one of the royal prerogatives be¬ 
longing to every fovereign prince, that he alone in his 
own dominions may order and dilpofe the quantity,, va¬ 
lue, and falhion, of his coin. But the coin of one king 
is not current in the kingdom of another, unlefs it be at 
great lofs; though our king, by his prerogative, may 
make any foreign coin lawful money of England at Ins 
pleafure, by proclamation. If a man bind himlelf by 
bond to pay one hundred pounds of lawful money of 
Great Britain, and the perfon bound, fhe obligor, pays 
the obligee the money in French, Spanifh, or other coin, 
made current either by aft of parliament, or the king’s 
proclamation, the obligation will be well performed. Co. 
Lit. 207. But it is faid a payment in farthings is not a 
good payment. 2 Infl. 517. When a perfon has accepted 
of money in payment from another, and put the lame 
into his pnrfe, it is at his peril after his allowance; and 
he lhall not then take exception to it as bad, notwith- 
■ Handing he prelently reviews it. Terms de Lty. 
The art of coining money is a very fimple and eafy pro- 
cefs; formerly the ftamp was given by the ftroke of a 
hammer; but it is now performed in a much more exaft 
and elegant manner by an engine or mill, a figure of 
which is hereunto annexed. The planchets, or pieces of 
metal intended to be coined, having been firft cut out 
from the plate with a fharp hollow fteel trapan of a round 
figure, are laid between the dyes, and the bar of the en¬ 
gine being pulled over, the impreflion is given with un¬ 
erring exaftnefs and aftonifhing facility; infomuch, that 
it is laid one fingle perfon may ftamp twenty thoufand 
pieces of coin in one day. The milling, and ftamp round 
the edge, are performed by a feparate machine. In coin¬ 
ing medals the procefs is the fame, with this only diffe¬ 
rence : that money, having but a finall relievo, receives its 
impreflion at a fingle ftroke of the engine ; whereas for 
medals, the height of their relievo makes it neceflary that 
the ftroke be repeated feveral times: to this end the piece 
is taken out from between the dies, heated, and returned 
again; which procefs, in medallions and large medals, is 
repeated fifteen or twenty times before the full impreflion 
Vol. IV. No. 235. 
can be given. For the names and values^of coins in this 
and all other countries, fee the article Money. 
OFFENCES RELATING TO THE COIN. 
Two offences refpefting the coin, are made treafon by 
the ftatute 25 Edw. III. c. 2. Thefe are the aftual coun¬ 
terfeiting the gold and filver coin of this kingdom ; or 
the importing fuch counterfeit money with an intent to 
utter it, knowing it to be falfe. But tliefc not being found 
fufiicient to reftrain the evil practices of coiners and falf'a 
moneyers, other ftatutes have been fince made for that 
purpofe. By 1 Mary, c. 6, if any perfon fhall falfely forge 
or counterfeit any fuch kind of coin of gold or lilver, as 
is not the proper coin of this realm; but fhall be current 
within this realm by confent of the crown, fuch offence 
fhall be deemed high treafon. And by 1 and 2 Phil, and 
Mary, c. 11, if any perfon do bring into this realm fuch 
falfe or counterfeit foreign money, being current here, 
knowing the fame to be falfe, with intent to utter the 
lame in payment, they'fhall be deemed offenders in high 
treafon. The money, referred to in thefe ftatutes, mult 
be fuch as is abfolutely current here, in all payments, by 
the king’s proclamation. Portugal money being only taken 
by confent, as approaching the neareft to our ftandard*, 
and falling in tolerably well with our divifions of money 
into pounds and fhillings : therefore to counterfeit that is 
not iiigh treafon, but another inferior offence. 
Clipping or defacing the genuine coin was not hitherto 
included in thefe ftatutes ; but by 5 Eliz. c. 117 clipping, 
waffling, rounding, or filing, for wicked gains fake, any 
of the money of this realm, or other money differed to 
be current here, fhall be adjudged high trealon ; and by 
18 Eliz. c. 1, the fame fpecies of offence is defcribed in 
other more general words; viz. impairing, diminifhing, 
falfifying, fcaling, and lightening, are made liable to the 
lame penalties. 
By 8 and 9 Will. III. c. 26, (made perpetual by 7 Ann. 
c. 25,) whoever, without proper authority, fhall know¬ 
ingly, make or mend, or aflift in fo doing,.or fhall buy, 
fell, conceal, hide, or knowingly have in his poffeflion 
any implements of coinage fpecified in the add, or other 
tools or inftruments proper only for the coinage of 
money ; or fhall convey the fame out of the king’s mint ; 
he, together with his councilors, procurers, aiders, and 
abettors, fhall be guilty of high treafon. The ftatute 
farther enafts, that to mark any coin on the edges with 
letters, or othervvife, in imitation of thofe ufed in the 
mint; or to colour, gild, or cafe over any coin refem- 
bling the current coin, or even round blanks of bafe 
metal; fhall be conftrued high treafon. But all profe- 
cutions on this aft are to be commenced within three 
months after the commiflion of the offence : except thofe 
for making or mending any coining tool or inftrument, 
or for the making letters on money round the edges ; 
which are direfted to be commenced within fix months 
after the offence committed. And, laftly, by 15 and i(J 
Geo. II. c. 28, if any perfon colours or alters any fhiliing 
or fixpence, either lawful or counterfeit, to make them 
refpeftively refemble a guinea or half guinea: or any 
halfpenny or farthing to make them refpedfively refemble 
a (hilling or fixpence ; this is alfb high treafon ; but the 
offender fhall be pardoned, in cafe (being out of prifon) 
he difcovers and convifts two other offenders of the fame 
kind. 
Offences relating to the coin, not amounting to trea¬ 
fon, and under which may be ranked fome inferior mif- 
demeanors not amounting to felony, are thus declared 
by the following feries of ftatutes: 27 Edw, I. c. 3, none 
fhall bring pollards, and crockards (which were foreign 
coins of bafe metal) into the realm, on pain of forfeiture 
of life and goods. By 9 Edw. III. no fterjing money 
fhall be melted down, upon pain of forfeiture thereof. 
By 17 Edw. III. none fhall be fo hardy to bring falfe 
and ill money into the realm, on pain of forfeiture of life 
and members of the perfons importing, and the fearcher* 
9 F permitting 
