Posted 01/20/2014 3:22 pm
Looking back to 17th century England, The Royal Mint was run by a Master of The Mint. The Master was responsible for producing coin to the agreed specifications (weight and purity) and quantities, which were generally laid down by law.
In later years the post of Master of The Mint became a position of honour more than a practical job. Isaac Newton for example was Master between 1699-1727.
Obviously the day-to-day management was done by various officials who would look after different aspects of the Mint's operation. There are of course a variety of different stages and processes involved in making coins so the officials (under the Deputy Master) might manage the engravers, die makers and finances of the operation. The actual making of coins was done by moneyers, also called coiners.
In earlier centuries the operation was smaller in scale and the moneyer would be in charge of the whole process and responsible to the crown. If you look at early silver pennies struck in England you might see they have the King's name on the portrait side and name of the moneyer on the reverse.
In England the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths are charged with checking that coins meet the set purity and weight requirements. It used to be that the Master of The Mint would require a private (privy) mark to be incorporated into the design of coins so that each batch checked could be identified in case of problems.
That help?
In later years the post of Master of The Mint became a position of honour more than a practical job. Isaac Newton for example was Master between 1699-1727.
Obviously the day-to-day management was done by various officials who would look after different aspects of the Mint's operation. There are of course a variety of different stages and processes involved in making coins so the officials (under the Deputy Master) might manage the engravers, die makers and finances of the operation. The actual making of coins was done by moneyers, also called coiners.
In earlier centuries the operation was smaller in scale and the moneyer would be in charge of the whole process and responsible to the crown. If you look at early silver pennies struck in England you might see they have the King's name on the portrait side and name of the moneyer on the reverse.
In England the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths are charged with checking that coins meet the set purity and weight requirements. It used to be that the Master of The Mint would require a private (privy) mark to be incorporated into the design of coins so that each batch checked could be identified in case of problems.
That help?
Edited by Tom Goodheart
01/20/2014 3:33 pm
01/20/2014 3:33 pm
