Draft of <ref target="/catalogue/record/MINT00633">MINT00633</ref> (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 Isaac Newton c. 994 words Newton Project London 2019 Newton Project, University of Oxford

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 May 1717, c. 994 words. In response to a verbal order, a detailed account of Newton's proposed method of coining copper from rolled bars, the requisite staff and their respective duties [MINT 19/2/356] MINT 19/2/346, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK UKSurreyKew, RichmondNational Archives MINT 19/2/346 May 1717 England English Holograph MintCopper Coinage Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins Transcribed by Kees-Jan Schilt
To the Rt HonbleRight Honorable the Lords CommersCommissioners of his Mats.Majestys TrearyTreasury

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 1s per lwt be purchased by a factor for his Maty.Majesty where it can be had cheapest, & delivered to the 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 yethe Mint yethe & let the Moneyers cut out & stamp the blanks. whAll wchwhich may be done for 4d per lwt to yethe Melter & 1d34 per lwt to yethe Moneyers

May it please yoer LordpsLordships, In obedience to yoer LordpsLordships Order that I should lay before yoer LordpsLordships 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, & tThat out of these barrs blanks may be cut & coyned by the Moneyers, & That every Tunn (& somet of (or parcel not exceeding a Tunn) of new moneys may be well mixed upon a floor & & four or five piecespounds 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 Majts.Majesty or by the LdLord Treasurer & in take in fineness & the tale at a tMedium be recconed the Tale of the whole heap, & And tThat a piece taken out of every heap pound weight 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 yethe LdLord 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 weight, other half a hundred weight, five pounds worth of farthings to be delivered to the people who come for them, And that theall the Receipts 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 214 per lwt but such copper will be coarse & not endure the assay by the hammer when red hot. It may be made in hammered into barrsplates & the plates cut into barrs at the battering mills for about 512 per lwt b & such copper will be verysufficiently 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 pennya farthing more for blanching. I take the best way to be by casting the copper into cakesthat wchwhich 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 cuttingblanched & carried to the Mint: all wchwhich may be done blanched for 4d per lwt, & the Copper by this way of working will be sufficiently fine So as to endure the assay by the hammer when red hot And tThe cutting out yethe blanks & coyning them in the Mint will cost seven farthings per lwt And if 1d per lwt be allowed to my self the Graver & the Smith for th & 12s per Tunn to two Clerks, and Assayer & weigher & putter off & about an half penny for per lwt for Assaying, Weighing, entring in books, & pu barrellsing & putting off, & making a Controllment Roll the whole charge in the Mint will amount unto 3d14 per lwt & out in the Mint & 4d put of the Mint in all 714 per lwt 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 lesast as about 2 years ago was worth 9about 95 or 96£ per Ton & atbout presen a year ago was worth 100 or 1202£ per Ton & at present is worth 110£ per Ton, This price added or 1s per lwt] This price added to the 714d will make the charge of a pound weight of farth copper money 19d14 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 14 per lwt, so that yethe whole charge will be about 1912 per lwt. If Asthe 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 4d pr lwt. 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. 346