Trial of the Pyx

According to records from the Dialogus de Scaccario, in 1179 the weight and fineness of coinage received by England's Exchequer was routinely examined for regulatory purposes under the supervision of the Barons of the Exchequer. The earliest surviving record of a distinct public trial of the coins of the realm dates from 24 February 1248: although not a Trial of the Pyx in the full sense, it was held before the Barons of the Exchequer with a jury of twelve "discreet and lawful citizens of London" and twelve "skilful goldsmiths of the same place". In 1279 the various Royal Mints, found in different parts of the Kingdom, were consolidated and placed under the authority of a single Master of the Mint. By the same ordinance it was enjoined that a standard coin should be made, and deposited at the Exchequer, against which these newly-minted coins would be measured (according to form and quality). In 1275 the quality of silver to be used for coinage of the realm had been set at 11 oz 2¼ dwt of fine silver and 17¾ dwt of alloy in every 12-ounce Tower pound of metal. which was amended in 2005, 2012 and 2016. It is not required for a new Order to be issued for each Trial: this is required only to implement regulatory revision. Prior to the Coinage Act 1870 trials took place at the Palace of Westminster and coins were stored in Westminster Abbey's Pyx Chamber. The Act moved the venue for the trial to Goldsmiths' Hall, the headquarters of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths who carry out the testing. In 2026, however, the trial took place in the Mansion House, Goldsmiths' Hall being closed for refurbishment (an legal amendment introduced in 1998 permits the trial to be held in any suitable location within the City of London). == Procedure ==

Every year around February, the event begins with a meeting held in Goldsmiths' Hall. Attending the gathering are the Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths' Company, three of their supporting Wardens, the Head of the Assay Office, Liverymen, The Deputy Master of the Mint and the King's Remembrancer. The presiding judge is the King's Remembrancer (or Queen's Remembrancer when the reigning monarch is female), the Senior Master of the King's Bench. It is his or her responsibility to ensure that the trial be held in accordance with the law and to deliver the jury's final verdict to His Majesty's Treasury. Where and when a trial is to take place is at the Treasury's discretion, though there must be a trial in any year during which the Royal Mint issues coins. Coins to be tested are drawn from the regular production of the Royal Mint. The Deputy Master of the Mint must, throughout the year, randomly select several thousand sample coins and place them aside for the Trial. These must be in a certain fixed proportion to the number of coins produced. For example, for every 5,000 bimetallic coins issued, one must be set aside, whereas for silver Maundy money the proportion is one in 150. The jury is composed of at least six assayers from the Company of Goldsmiths. They have two months to test the provided coins, and decide whether they have been properly minted. Criteria are given for diameter, chemical composition and weight for each class of coinage. Depending on the number of coins being assayed there are a varying number of jurors needed. Sitting along a table, the jurors are handed packets of up to 50 coins, by a Royal Mint official, which they must count. Each juror selects one coin from the pile, places it in a copper bowl and it is then sent to be assayed. The remaining coins are either sent to be weighed or weighed at the table. Smaller denomination coins that are more numerous are counted by machine. At the company's assay office, the coins which were placed in the copper bowls are melted down and formed into plates where their fineness and weight can be compared against a corresponding trial plate which acts as a benchmark. After three months of testing, a ceremony presided over by the King's Remembrancer is held, when the final verdict is given. Attending the event and receiving the verdict under the capacity as Master of the Mint is the Chancellor of the Exchequer or their Deputy Master, the Chief Executive of the Royal Mint. If the coinage is found to be substandard, the trial carries a punishment for the Master of the Mint of a fine, removal from office, or imprisonment. The last master of the mint to be punished was Isaac Newton in 1696, == List of trials ==

Prior to the Coinage Act 1971 which ordered a trial to be held at least once a year, trials were carried out in no particular order and often covered the coinage of multiple years. Dates of trials Trials during the reign of Elizabeth II Trials were held in every calendar year of the reign of Elizabeth II, starting in 1952. Trials during the reign of Charles III ==See also==