Every single year since 1282 the Trial of the Pyx has taken place – during which a legally recognised jury, in the presence of the Queen’s Remembrancer, is sworn in to run the rule over the coins the Royal Mint produces to make absolutely sure no one is scrimping, stealing or cheating the public when it comes to the pounds and pence used in the UK.
Smelting, weighing and measuring the year’s coins, the Goldsmiths Company of the City of London has evaluated our coins since Queen Elizabeth I gave it that power more than 500 years ago. The trial originally took place in Westminster Hall, then at the Exchequer, but common sense finally prevailed in 1870 and the venue was moved to Goldsmith’s Hall – next to the Assay Office that has been responsible for testing the quality of British gold and silver since 1327.
It takes them two months to deliver their verdict – as more than 50,000 coins taken from every batch of every denomination struck that year are looked into – but when it is finally read aloud, it’s oddly poetic for such a prosaic act of metallurgy:
“We took out one coin from each of the single packets of gold coins. We weighed in bulk the coins taken out,” reads a section of the most recent verdict.
“Then we melted the other weighed coins into an ingot and assayed it, comparing it with the standard trial plate of gold.
“We weighed in bulk the residue of the coins remaining in the packets of gold coins. We then took out of the residue three coins of each type and weighed and assayed them separately.”
And as that weighing and sorting and measuring begins again, we can take comfort that while the Bank of England might print more money, and the pound sink or soar against the euro, the coins in our pocket at least are exactly what they claim to be.
[Related featue: How to spot a fake £1 coin]
Key facts about the Trial of the Pyx:
What’s a Pyx?
“Pyx” is the name given to the chests that the coins are transported in and is a reference to the Pyx chamber in Westminster Abbey – where the chests were historically kept along with other important items of state and church.
Who is the Queen’s Remembrancer?
The Queen’s Remembrancer is the oldest judicial position still existing in the UK – first created in 1164 by Henry II. They are the senior judge in the Courts of Justice, and pleasingly still seem to act up their ancient role during the Trial of the Pyx: Bedecked in a tricorn hat, wig and “rambling on in an affected Scottish brogue” according to one recent witness. Steven Whitaker currently holds the role.
What coins are tested?
According to the 1998 Trial of the Pyx Order - amended slightly in 2005 - of those minted you have to test one in every 2,000 gold coins (such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee coin this year); one in every 150 platinum coins; one in every 150 silver Maundy coins; one in every 3,000 of every other type of silver coin (such as the silver pennies still minted); one in every 3,000 gold-plated silver coins; one in every 5,000 cupro-nickel coins of more than ten pence (so 20 and 50 pence pieces); one in every 20,000 cupro-nickel coins of a denomination less than ten pence (so 10 pence and 5 pence pieces); one in every 5,000 nickel-brass coins (one and two pence pieces); one in every 5,000 bimetallic coins (£2 coins).
What do they check for?
By law, the jury is required to test the size, weight and metallic composition of the above coins. Coins are checked individually by size and together by weight.
Who is in the jury?
The jury is made up of “Freemen of the Goldsmiths Company” – to be precise prime warden of the Goldsmiths’ Company (currently silversmith Hector Miller) with the three supporting wardens, the head of the Assay Office and a selection of the Company’s liverymen. Depending on the number of coins to be checked, the total number changes, but it’s generally about 20-strong.
What is the Goldsmith’s Company then?
The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths – to use its full title – has been responsible for checking the quality of gold and silver in Britain since 1300 (and platinum since 1975). They’re the people responsible for hallmarks on gold and silver (in fact, the word “hallmark” itself is related to the Goldsmith’s Hall where items were brought for marking).
How often do the coins fail the test?
Although there have been cases of small discrepancies in the past few decades, these have mostly been miscalculations. Complete failure is unprecedented.
What if the coins fail this time?
As a legally convened court – complete with jury and judge – a verdict would have to be passed. The Queen’s Remembrancer would direct the verdict – which would then be delivered to the Department of Trade and Industry, the Mint and published “as the Treasury sees fit” according to the latest legislation. What they could actually do about it is rather unclear.
Credit cards
0% balance transfers up to 24 months, 0% purchases up to 15 months - compare 200+ credit cards insta … More »Credit cards
36 comments