352), adding details of the hammer test and calculations of costs

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: MINT 19/2/357, 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
  - 13 May 2017
    - Transcribed by Will Scott
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<357r>

|2| In the reign of king Charles II {illeg}|a| pound weight of blanks made of Swedish copper cost 18^d & was cut into 20^d|.| & The copper & making of the blanks cost 18^d, the stamping 1^d, the & a penny moer was allowed for \the Graver Smith &/ incident charges.

|3| A pound weight of fine c|E|nglish copper such as will hammer when red h{illeg}|o|t will cost 10 $\frac{1}{2}$ ^d \or 1{illeg}|{0}| $\frac{3}{4}$ in silver moneys/, the same may be coyned without edging for edging for 5 $\frac{1}{2}$ ^d the edging will cost another penny\or 5 $\frac{3}{4}$ including {illeg}|the| work of the Graver & Smith./ the whole charge of copper & coinage is \not above/ 16 $\frac{1}{2}$ ^d per lw^t & if the same be edged the edging will cost a penny {illeg}|mo|re {illeg}. And if a pound weight be {illeg}|c|ut into 20^d there will remain \at least/ {illeg}|2|^d| $\frac{1}{2}$ | per lw^t for purch{illeg}|as|ing Mills & presses & setting up a copper Mint .|&| |p{illeg}|ay|ing \C{illeg}|h|ecks &/ {illeg}|all| incident charges.|

|1| If copper be mixed {illeg}|w|^th any other other {sic} base metal or semi-metal it will not endure the hammer when red ho{illeg}|t| but fly in pieces. So soon as it is refined by the copper workers to that degree that it will as to be purged from all other base metal it begins to endure the hammer when red hot & to endure {illeg}|b|e worth about {illeg}\{illeg}/ 98 or 100^li per Tunn {illeg} & such copper They call fine copper. For making copper vessels they refine it a little higher But {illeg} \to make it more malleable/ & for making copper wyer they refine it still higher \to make it more soft{er}|&| malleable/. But for money it is sufficient to refine it till it \begin to/ beare the hammer as above when red hot. The|y| {illeg} that are {illeg} trade in {illeg} work in copper can readily judge of the fineness of it \al{so}/ b{e}|y| y^e breaking off a little piece from th & observing the grain & colour \where is is broken/. There is also a way of assaying copper wh by separ{e}|a|ting the other base metals from it: but the assay by the hammer \{illeg}/ I recc{illeg}|o|n sufficient {f} for the most {illeg} {illeg}\{illeg}/ convent s|c|ertain & sufficient for the Mint. For it will be proper for the Master & Worker not to receive course {sic} copper & put it out to refine, but {illeg} as is done in gold & silver but only to recei{illeg}|v|e such fine copper, such as will endure the {illeg}|t|es{illeg}|t| by the hammer, & by the grain & colour in breaking

4 The

|4| Fine copper run\made/ into barrs, {illeg}|su|ch as will hammer when red hot, may be had \of the Copper workers/ for 15^d per lw^t But \p{illeg}|aying| 15^d/ /for so much as {illeg}|t|he blanks cut out of them shall weigh.\ And these barrs are \something/ cheaper then those made by {illeg} casting the barrs in sand & running them through milling them in the mint. But the price is grerater by about a penny in the pound weight.

4 Fine copper made into barrs

4 {The}

4|8| One M^r Eyres \a copper worker/ proposes to work fine copper into barrs paying 15^d p^r lw^t for the blanks w^ch shall be cut out of them in the Mint by the moneyers in the Mint & returning back the scissel. The barrs to stand the test of the hammer when made red h{illeg}|o|t. {illeg} Such barrs will be something cle{illeg}|a|ner then those made by casting the copper in t{he} same molds of sand {illeg}|&| milling them in the Mint, but will be dearer by about a p{illeg}|e|nny in the pound weight.

|5|4|| A mi{illeg}|ll| will cost {illeg} The Mills Presses & other Engins for setting up a Copper Mint will cost {illeg}|6| se|i|x or seven hundred pounds & three farthings {illeg}|ith| p^r pound \w^t/ in coining an hundred Tunns will pay that charge.

|6|5|| Weighing & telling may cost $\frac{1}{8}$ ^d per lw^t, paper

<357v>

A pound weight {illeg}|o|f fine copper, such as will endure the assay abovementioned will cost 10 $\frac{1}{2}$ ^d or 10 $\frac{3}{4}$ ^d & the coynage will cost 5 $\frac{1}{2}$ ^d or 5 $\frac{3}{4}$ ^d including the work of the graver & smith, so that the whole charge of copper & coinage will not \scarce/ exceed 16 $\frac{1}{2}$ ^d \per lw^t/. And if the same be edged the edging will cost a penny more. And if a pound weight not edged be cut into 19^d or a pound weight edged be cut into 20^d{illeg} there will remain 2 $\frac{1}{2}$ ^d per lw^t for purchasing mills & Presses & setting up a copper Mint & paying all Clerks & incident charges.