172-3)

Author: Unknown, Isaac Newton

Source: MINT 19/1/146, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK

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- Revision History
  - 1 January 2001
    - Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young
  - 29 September 2011
    - Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins
  - 15 January 2017
    - Transcribed by Will Scott
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Related Texts
- This document is a version of:
  Reply to a query about the engravers' patent [MINT 19/1/172-3]

<146r>

To the R^t. Hon^ble the Lord High Treasurer of England

May it please yo^r: Lord^p.

A Question being moved about a Clause in the Gravers Patent I humbly beg leave to lay the matter before your Lordship. All persons haveing a liberty to make Medals unless restrained by the Government, the Gravers of the Mint have by a clause in their Patent been allowed and all others prohibited to make Medals with the Effigies of the King or Queen. And this Office or Place of Medal-maker to the Crown has been sometimes E|e|ncouraged by a Large Salary out of the Civil List & sometimes G|g|ranted to strangers and is no part of the C|c|onstitution of the Mint For by the standing constitution of the Mint the Moneyers C|c|oyne W|w|hatever the Government has occasion for\wants/ whether Money Medals or h|H|ealing pieces, the M|m|etal weight allay & form of the money and M|m|edals being first appointed by the King or Queen by the advice of the Council, and the Graver only makes the stamps. This I take to be the proper way of C|c|oyning such Medals as the Government approves of & I am humbly of O|o|pinion that no other Medals should be C|c|oyned by the Mint.

The Gravers privilege of makeing other Medals for their private advantage is an encouragement to them to improve themselves and to be C|c|ontent with less S|s|alaries. If it be C|c|ontinued they may be obliged to set their N|n|ames or y^e first L|l|etters thereof on their own Medals to distinguish them from Medals made by the Mint \or be otherwise limited as yo^r Lord^p shall think fit/ if abrogated they may want S|s|ome other encouragement \to improve themselves & may expect to be paid for the{ir} Dyes & Puncheons they make for Medals./ Whether it shall be C|c|ontinued \& in what manner/ or |be| abrogated is most humbly S|s|ubmitted to your Lordships G|g|reat W|w|isdom