How much do you trust the coins in your pocket? In an age of digital finance coins are still reassuringly solid. This trust has been hard-won, thanks in no small part to the Trial of the Pyx - the annual test of the coins produced by the Royal Mint by the Goldsmiths' Company and the London Assay Office.

The 776-year-old ceremony, which is one of the UK's oldest judicial procedures, 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 process ensures that the coins produced by The Royal Mint meet the standards of precision, accuracy and exceptional craftsmanship for which it is internationally renowned.

A sample of all new coins struck by The Royal Mint - whether currency or collectible - is submitted to the Trial of the Pyx each year. The coins are rigorously checked for fineness and quality by an independent jury which has been made up of members of the Goldsmiths' Company since 1327, before undergoing scientific analysis by the London Assay Office.

Join the Goldsmiths' Company's Library and Archive team on Wednesday 7 May 2025, to learn about the ceremony and the science behind this ancient procedure through objects and documents in their collections, during this exclusive Archive Experience at Goldsmiths' Hall, in the City of London.

Visitors will come face to face with objects and documents that have played an important part in the history of the Pyx, including a gold plate which enraged Sir Isaac Newton and a letter which helped the defeat of Napoleon. There will be chance to handle historic tools associated with testing the coins and a sample of the precious metal coins submitted for testing by the Royal Mint in 2025.

This exclusive Archive Experience will be held in the Library Reading Room, capacity is limited to 10 people, and tickets are priced at £25 per person.

Proceeds will go towards supporting the development of vocational skills and training in our trade and craft through the 1327 charitable fund.

History of the Trial of the Pyx

The Trial of the Pyx originated in the 12th century, making it one of the oldest judicial procedures in the country and has taken place at Goldsmiths' Hall since 1871.

The name Pyx refers to chests in which the coins are transported, and derives from the Latin word 'pyxis', meaning small box. For centuries they were stored in the Pyx Chamber in Westminster Abbey, along with other important items of state and church. The first record of a public trial dates from 1248 when twelve citizens of London and twelve goldsmiths of the City were selected to examine the money.

Up until the reign of Elizabeth I the juries of the trial were composed of a mixture of goldsmiths and other citizens of the City of London. Elizabeth gave the Company entire responsibility for the trial in 1580, and all jurors were nominated from its members from then on.

The 1870 Coinage Act, established Goldsmiths' Hall as the new venue for the Trial. This made good sense as The Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office was also located in the Hall, as it is today. It is the Assay Office which has the task of testing the metallic composition of the coins.

The Trial Today

The Goldsmiths' Company and Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office play an active role in the Trial, working collaboratively with the Royal Mint.

The Trial is held annually at Goldsmiths' Hall in accordance with the Coinage Act of 1971 and is presided over by the King's Remembrancer of the Royal Courts of Justice, the oldest judicial office in the UK, dating back to the twelfth century.

Little has changed in the procedure since the reign of Edward I. Throughout the year, coins are randomly selected from every batch of each denomination struck, sealed in bags containing 50 coins each, and locked away in the Pyx boxes for testing at the Trial.

Officials from The Royal Mint bring the pyx boxes to Goldsmiths' Hall, containing coins put aside in the course of manufacture during the previous year. These coins, normally more than 50,000 in total, represent one coin from every batch of each denomination minted.

The trial jury, comprising members of the Goldsmiths' Company, is part of a formal court of law. It is summoned to the Hall by the senior judge in the Royal Courts of Justice, known as the King's Remembrancer. During the opening proceedings, the coins are counted and weighed, and a selection put aside for testing by the Assay Office. The Company has two months to test the coins.

For more information, see:
Archive Experience: The Trial of The Pyx - Session One (11:30am)(https://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk/whats-on/archive-experience-the-trial-of-the-pyx-session-one)