Royal Mint conducts Trial of the Pyx
Two of the 2017 coins subjected to the Trial of the Pyx and now offered for sale by the British Royal Mint. At top, bimetallic 12-sided £1 gold proof reverse; at bottom, obverse platinum wedding £20 silver with conjoined portraits of Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip. (Images courtesy & © The Royal Mint)
In December, the British Royal Mint announced that it is offering the public the opportunity to purchase a limited selection of coins that have been through the Trial of the Pyx. This is a historic ceremony that sees samples of coins struck by the Mint selected at random and subjected to analysis. In short, it is a quality control procedure.
The Trial was first held in public in 1282. Today, it is conducted at Goldsmiths’ Hall in London where it is presided over by the Queen’s Remembrancer or their deputy, assisted by an independent jury of Liverymen of the Goldsmiths’ Company.
Among the coins offered for sale are the £5 gold proof marking the 1,000th anniversary of the coronation of King Canute, a Welsh Dragon £20, a gold proof £1 featuring the 12-sided design adopted in 2017, three different editions of the sovereign, and a £20 celebrating the platinum wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
The full range of coins and sets from the Trial of the Pyx can be viewed at www.royalmint.com/TrialofthePyx. Prospective purchasers should be aware that these coins may carry small marks or smudges from having been handled during the Trial of the Pyx.
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