A Trial plate was a piece of metal used as a standard in the assaying of coins to determine a coin's accuracy and fineness.[1] Plates made from various metals including copper, silver and gold were used in events such as the Trial of the Pyx as benchmarks of quality.[2] A contender for the earliest known ingot-shaped silver trial plate that dates from 1279 and is held by the Royal Mint Museum in the United Kingdom.[3]

References

  1. ^ Cherry 1992, p. 60.
  2. ^ "The Trial of the Pyx". Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  3. ^ "Trial plate or ingot". Royal Mint Museum. Retrieved 2 August 2017.

Bibliography

  • Cherry, John (1992). Goldsmiths: Medieval Craftsmen. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0802077110.
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