Complaint about trial plates Isaac Newton c. 304 words The Newton Project Oxford 2016 Newton Project, University of Oxford

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 Between 21 August 1710 and 28 March 1711, c. 304 words. Treasury

[Note on dating: clearly post-dates the pyx trial of 21 August 1710, and the Treasury was only in commission until 28 March 1711: see NC, 5: 83, n.1. NC gives 'c. 31 December 1710' but describes its own suggestion as arbitrary.]

Printed in NC, 5: 82-3.

The present trial plate is about a quarter of a grain finer than the last, which was itself too fine. Proposes that uniform standards for valuing silver and gold should apply throughout Great Britain to eliminate such anomalies.

 MINT 19/1/275, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK UKSurreyKew, RichmondNational Archives MINT 19/1/275 Between 21 August 1710 and 28 March 1711 England English Unknown Hand Unknown Cataloguer (1) Unknown Cataloguer (2) MintPyx Trials and Analyses of British Coinage MintCorrespondence Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins Transcribed by Will Scott Will Scott finished transcription

To the RtRight HonbleHonourable the Lords CommrsCommissioners of her Majesties Treasury.

May it please yoryour LordpsLordships

Finding reason to suspect that the present indented trial piece is too fine; I have nicely examined it & find that it is toofiner then the last trial piece by about a quarter of a grain & that the last trial piece is also something too fine by the assay. Which excesses of fineness being of great consequence, I have further endeavoured to find out the reason thereof that the like accidents in making new triall pieces hereafter may be avoided. And by the assay I am satisfied that there are various degrees of fine gold, some being 24 carats fine by the assay, some a quarter of a grain fin coarser or finer or above, & that gold may be refined so high as to be almost half a grain finer then 24 carats. And accordingly as the fine gold of wchwhich the standard pieces are made is finer or coarser the standard pieces will be finer or coarser in proportion. By wchwhich means the standard of gold is rendred uncertain. notwithstanding the fidelity of juries. And the like for silver.

I humbly offer therefore to your LordpsLordships consideration, whether for ascertaining the value of gold & silver there should not be one common standard of gold & one of the silver for the money plate & MerchanMerchantable Ingots of merchants in all great Britain, setled by the assay which is the rule of the market; & whether the standard once setled should not be preserved in the Exchequer for a rule to Iuries in makeing trial pieces for the future & whether new trial pieces should be also now made according to this standard without varying the standard.. or the present trial piece remain.

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