Holograph memorandum on coining from copper bars

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: MINT 19/2/351, 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 March 2017
    - Transcribed by Will Scott
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<351r>

That Copper money be made of such fine copper as will hammer without cracking when red hot & is worth about 11 $\frac{1}{2}$ per pound weight.

That such Copper be reduced into barrs at the battering Mills or drawing mills. And that the barrs being of a due length breadth & thickness be received by the Master & Worker of the Mint by weight & assay upon his note & a pound weight be cut into pence. And that the Master upon delivering back to the Importer the same weight of Copper in the form of Scissel or Money the money being firest assayed & taking back his Note, be discharged of his receipt without further accounting for the same, as in the coinage of Gold & Silver.

That all the money before delivery be assayed in the following manner. Let a Tunn be thrown upon a floor & mixed well together with a shovel, & from the four sides thereof let so much copper money be counted by the Assay master as should make a pound weight averdupois, & if the same makes a pound weight without erring above two {dragms} in any one of the four assays, & one piece taken by chance out of each assay endures the triall by the hammer, then the money to be deliverable otherwise not. And let the weight of the four assays be entred in a book, & the tale of the whole Tunn be recconed equal to the tale of the summ of the four assays in proportion to the weight. And if it be thought fit, a piece or two may be taken out of every Tunn & put into a Box to be tried by the Assaymaster before such persons as shall be appointed to see the Triall. And where any error occurrs in the Tale the Moneyers may endeavour to correct it in coyning the next parcel.

That the Importer upon receiving copper money from the Master do pay to the Master a seigniorage of per pound weight for bearing all the charges of coynage coyning tools & incidents. And that the Master & Worker account annually for the same.

The Copper Workers for their Copper & workmanship at the battering Mills, & for putting off the Copper money demand 17^d per pound weight. The coynage will cost 3 $\frac{1}{2}$ ^d per pound weight. And if an half penny more be allowed for other charges a pound weight will be cut into one & twenty pence & the seigniorage will be 4^d per pound weight. But if the barrs be made by Rolling mills they will be made a penny per pound weight cheaper & a pound weight may be cut into 20^d.