Flora and Fauna of the British Isles pass the Trial of the Pyx
The King’s Remembrancer, Senior Master Cook of the Kings’ Bench Division of the High Court, has today pronounced a positive verdict on the 7,960 coins submitted by The Royal Mint at the Trial of the Pyx – the United Kingdom’s oldest judicial process.
A series of eight new definitive coins produced by The Royal Mint, with designs focused on the flora and fauna of the British Isles, have passed the Trial of the Pyx, the UK’s oldest judicial process.
The 700-year-old process aims to protect consumers by upholding the quality of the nation’s coinage through rigorous testing – as important today as it was at the first recorded public trial in 1248.
The Verdict is the last stage of the Trial, which was opened in February and is presided over by the King’s Remembrancer, Senior Master (Jeremy David) Cook of the Kings’ Bench Division of the High Court.
The Royal Mint submitted 7,960 coins for testing, including the new definitives, a selection of limited-edition coins for collectors, the 22ct gold Coronation Sovereign and a pair of 5kg 24ct gold “Petition Crown” Masterpieces.
The largest coins submitted at this year’s Trial, the 5kg 24ct gold “Petition Crown” Masterpieces, are the first coins to feature portraits of Charles II and His Majesty King Charles III at the same time.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who as Master of the Mint is held responsible for the result, has received a positive verdict on the coins submitted at this year’s Trial of the Pyx.
Thursday 9 May 2024 - The King’s Remembrancer, Senior Master Cook of the Kings’ Bench Division of the High Court, has today pronounced a positive verdict on the 7,960 coins submitted by The Royal Mint at the Trial of the Pyx – the United Kingdom’s oldest judicial process.
Among the submissions were the series of eight new definitive coins, displaying designs of the flora and fauna of the British Isles, which reflect His Majesty King Charles III’s passion for conservation and the natural world. They also mark the final stage in the transition between Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Majesty King Charles III on British coinage.
While the primary responsibility of The Royal Mint is to strike the United Kingdom’s regular coinage, the 1,100-year-old organisation also draws on its unrivalled knowledge of precious metals and spectacular pool of British craftsmanship to create commemorative coins, which this year included a pair of 5kg 24ct gold “Petition Crown” Masterpieces.
Created in tribute to the Petition Crown, the revered seventeenth-century work of engraver Thomas Simon, the coins bear either the “quartered arms” or “Charles II Effigy” from Simon’ design on their reverse. Part of the Royal Mint’s Great Engravers Collection and featuring Martin Jennings’ portrait of His Majesty King Charles III on their obverse, this is the first time that Charles II and Charles III have appeared on the same coin.
Today’s verdict marks the end of a three-stage process, which began in February, when a jury of Goldsmiths’ Company members carefully counted and weighed a randomly selected sample of all new coins (legal tender and commemorative coins) from the Royal Mint’s 2023 production. After adjourning for three months to allow the Goldsmiths’ Company London Assay Office time to thoroughly test the coins, the King’s Remembrancer then delivers the verdict at Goldsmiths’ Hall, where both the Trial and the Verdict have taken place annually since 1871.
The Trial - which was first conducted in 1248 - fulfils a legal requirement imposed by an Act of Parliament (Coinage Act 1971) to conduct an examination by jury to ascertain that the coins of the realm, produced by the Royal Mint, are of the correct weight, size, and composition. As Master of the Royal Mint, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, is held responsible for the outcome.
“Today’s verdict underscores the importance of coins in the modern world: from the beautiful new King Charles III definitives, which remain a simple, portable, and reliable way of paying for goods and services; through to the stunning precious metal Masterpieces that represent the pinnacle of the engraver’s art.
The pronouncement of a positive verdict, following robust scientific testing by the Goldsmiths’ Company London Assay Office, highlights the Royal Mint’s ongoing commitment to quality, accuracy and craftsmanship, and an assurance that the Goldsmiths’ Company continues to protect consumers by ensuring the integrity of their coinage – a responsibility that we have proudly held for more than 700 years.”
“The Royal Mint has been making coins and working with precious metals for over a millennium, applying centuries of craftsmanship to produce coinage of the highest standards.
His Majesty King Charles III’s new definitive coin designs were unveiled last year, celebrating flora and fauna from across the British Isles. We are delighted to see these new definitive designs, as well as coins marking Windrush and the NHS, pass the trial and take their place in history.”
“As the only Mint in the world which puts its coinage through such rigorous testing, I am delighted with today’s verdict, a result which everyone at The Royal Mint can be proud of.
Every coin produced at The Royal Mint, from the ones found in your pockets through to larger 5kg masterwork coins, are tested for their quality, accuracy, and precision at the annual Trial of the Pyx ceremony.”