Draft of MINT00633 (Mint 19/2/356) with detailed costings, advice on quantities to be coined, and a proposal for preliminary trial coinage of one or two tons

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To the R^t Hon^ble the Lords Comm^ers of his Ma^ts. Treary

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Let Copper of such a goodness as two years ago was worth \at least/ about 95 or 96^£ per Ton & a year ago was worth about 100 or 102^£ per Ton & now os worth 110^£ per Ton \or 1^s per lw^t/ be purchased by a factor for his Ma^ty. where it can be had cheapest, & delivered to the {illeg} Melter & let the Melter refine it so much as is necessary & cast it into barrs in cakes in iron panns & roll the cakes red hot to a due size & blanch them & send them to y^e Mint y^e & let the Moneyers cut out & stamp the blanks. wh|All| w^ch may be done for 4^d per lw^t to y^e Melter & 1^d$\frac{3}{4}$ per lw^t to y^e Moneyers

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May it please yo^er Lord^ps,

In obedience to yo^er Lord^ps Order that I should lay before yo^er Lord^ps a Scheme of coyning copper money, I humbly represent that the Copper may be imported \into the Mint/ in barrs drawn to a due breath & thickness to be of such fine copper as will hammer without cracking when made red hot, |&| t|T|hat out of these barrs blanks \may/ be cut & coyned by the Moneyers, |&| That every Tunn (& somet{illeg} of (or parcel not exceeding a Tunn) of new moneys \may/ be well mixed \upon a floor/ & & {sic} four or five pieces\pounds weight/ taken out of several places of the heap \may/ be assayed & as many put into a Pix to be assayed at \the end of/ the year before persons as shall be appointed by his Maj^ts. or by the L^d Treasurer & in take in fineness & the tale at a t|M|edium be recconed the Tale of the whole heap, |&| And t|T|hat a piece \taken out/ of every heap pound weight \{illeg}ed aforesaid may/ be assayed in fineness & another piece put into a Pix to be tried at the end of the yeare before such person or persons as may be \appointed to/ report the trial to y^e L^d Treasurer, And that the money thus assayed |may| be \parcelled into five or tenn pounds worth &/ put into baggs or barrells & conteining some \ten five pounds worth/ an {illeg} weight, other half a hundred weight, five pounds worth of farthings to be delivered to the people who come for them, And that the\all the {illeg}|R|eceipts/ Assays & deliveries \may/ be entred in books by two Clerks one for the King the other for the people |with the weight of the money in every Barrel or Bag, & a Controllment Roll be made annually by the Kings Clerk.|

The copper may be cast into Barrs for \about/ 2$\frac{1}{4}$ per lw^t but such copper will be coarse & not endure the assay by the hammer when red hot. It may be made in hammered into barrs\plates & the plates cut into barrs/ at the battering mills for about 5$\frac{1}{2}$ per lw^t b & such copper will be very\sufficiently/ fine, but the charge is too great. In both these cases the barrs must be rolled to a due thickness, & the rolling w Moneyers demand a penny per pound weight for the rolling \& a half penny|a f|arthing more for blanching/. I take the best way to be by casting the copper into cakes\that w^ch follows. Let the copper be \melted &/ refined so much as is/ \necessary & cast into cakes/ in iron pannes, & rolling the cakes \rolled/ red hott in a water Mill, & this may be done to a due size for cutting, & this\& the barrs/ may done & the barrs made cleane & fit for cutting\blanched \& carried to the Mint/: all w^ch may be done blanched/ for 4^d per lw^t, & the Copper by this way of working will be sufficiently fine So as to endure the \assay by the/ hammer when red hot And t|T|he cutting out y^e blanks & coyning them \in the Mint/ will cost seven farthings per lw^t And if 1^d per lw^t be allowed to my self the Graver & the Smith for th & 12^s per Tunn to two Clerks, and Assayer \& weigher/ & putter off & \about/ an half penny for per lw^t for Assaying, Weighing, entring in books, & pu barrells|i|ng & putting off, \& making a Controllment Roll/ the whole charge in the Mint will amount unto 3^d$\frac{1}{4}$ per lw^t & out {illeg} in the Mint & 4^d put of the Mint \in all 7$\frac{1}{4}$ per lw^t/ besides the price of the Copper & the repairs of buildings & putting the coyning tools into repair \in the beginning/ & buying such new ones as are wanting. [The Copper should be of such a fineness goodness \at les|a|st/ as about 2 years ago was worth 9|a|bout 95 or 96^£ per Ton & at|b||out| presen a year ago was worth 100 or 12|0|2^£ per Ton & at p^resent is worth 110^£ per Ton, This price added or 1^s per lw^t] This price added to the 7$\frac{1}{4}$^d will make the charge of a pound weight of farth copper money 19^d$\frac{1}{4}$ at present. And something more is to be allowed for repairs of buildings & for putting the coining Tools into repairs \in the beginning of the coinage/ or|&| purchasing such new ones as are wanting. Which may be done for \about/ $\frac{1}{4}$ per lw^t, so that y^e whole charge will be about 19$\frac{1}{2}$ per lw^t. |If As|the| copper be such as at present is worth about 110^£ per Ton the Manufacturer will refine it to a due degree & work it into barrs for 4^d p^r lw^t.|

And because a po the money cannot be sized so exactly but that there will be errors soo in excesse or defect, the errors may be limited to a half penny in the pound weight.