Coin Weights for Hammered Coin

[Coinery 926]

Just a quick question. Did the medieval mint manufacture its own 'official' coin weights?

[Colin G. 147]

A lot of trade weights bear a royal mark, so I would have assumed the same for coin weights that there would have been some form of official weight set

[Rob 3,002]

They were made by the same people who engraved the dies and made the punches. So you see Charles I weights signed by Briot for example.

[Coinery 926]

OK, that would explain the one I've just seen punched with a cosher bust of Elizabeth!

Thanks, chaps!

[Rob 3,002]

You get something similar with the pyx trial standard plates. The Mint has pieces of gold which were used as the relevant standard for the period marked on the plate. For some it carries the description of the fineness in words, but for others it carries an impression of the coin against which it was tried - angel, crown sovereign etc. This was covered in a useful little book called Ancient trial Plates of the Royal Mint by J H Watson (1962)

[Coinery 926]

Thanks, Rob, interesting and intriguing!

I might come back to this thread in a bit!

[azda 973]

I hope you're not thinking of a purchase Stewie