Monday 14 June 2021 9:22 am

Royal Mint conducts Trial of the Pyx ceremony in the City of London

The Trial of the Pyx ceremony dates back to the thirteenth century.

The Royal Mint’s coins have been submitted for testing at Goldsmiths’ Hall in the City of London in the annual Trial of the Pyx ceremony.

The trial, the UK’s oldest judicial ceremony, aims to uphold the quality of the nation’s coinage and protect consumers.

A sample of new coins struck by The Royal Mint were checked for quality by an independent jury of Goldsmiths’ Company members.

The trial ensures that all products made by The Royal Mint are made to the highest standards

The Trial of the Pyx ceremony dates back to the thirteenth century and takes place annually at the Hall of Goldsmiths’ Company in the City of London.

The jurors count and sample around 60,000 coins before random samples are sent to the Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office for further analysis.

The first ever public trial was in 1248.

“The purpose of the trial is as valid today as it was when it started over 700 years ago,” said Graeme Smith, the Queen’s Assay Master at The Royal Mint.

“It assures the public and the government of the quality and authenticity of the nation’s coinage and maintains trust and confidence and ensures that the highest standards are met and maintained in the minting of UK coinage.”