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Download the Trial of the Pyx (Amendment) Order 2005, Great The Trial of the Pyx (Amendment) Order 2005, Great Britain, Stationery Office, 2005, 0110722272, 9780110722276, . Enabling power: Coinage Act 1971, s. 8 (2) (3). Issued: 15.02.2005. Made: 09.02.2005. Laid: -. Coming into force: 10.02.2005. Effect: S.I. 1998/1764 amended. Territorial extent & classification: E/W/S/NI. General. DOWNLOAD http://kgarch.org/18gofPo , , , , . The Trial of the Pyx is the procedure in the United Kingdom for ensuring that newly minted coins conform to required standards. Trials have been held from the twelfth century to the present day, normally once per calendar year; the form of the ceremony has been essentially the same since 1282 AD. They are trials in the full judicial sense, presided over by a judge with an expert jury of assayers. Trials are now held at the Hall of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths; formerly, they took place at the Palace of Westminster. Given modern production methods, it is unlikely that coins would not conform, but this has been a problem in the past—it was tempting for the Master of the Mint to steal precious metals. The presiding judge is the Queen's Remembrancer (or King's Remembrancer when the sitting monarch is male), the Senior Master of the Queen's Bench. It is his or her responsibility to ensure that the trial is held in accordance with the law, and to deliver their final verdict to Her Majesty's Treasury. Where and when a trial is to take place is at the Treasury's discretion, though there must be a trial in any year during which the Royal Mint issues coins. Coins to be tested are drawn from the regular production of the Royal Mint. The Deputy Master of the Mint must, throughout the year, randomly select several thousand sample coins and place them aside for the Trial. These must be in a certain fixed proportion to the number of coins produced. For example, for every 5000 bimetallic coins issued, one must be set aside, whereas for silver Maundy money the proportion is one in 150. Statutory basis for the Trial of the Pyx is given by the Coinage Act 1971, the latest in a long series of similarly named Acts of Parliament. Specific procedures are established by Order in Council, the most recent being the Trial of the Pyx Order 1998, which was amended by The Trial of the Pyx (Amendment) Order 2005 and more recently by The Trial of the Pyx (Amendment) Order 2012. It is not required for a new Order to be issued for each Trial: this is mandated (to occur) only with regulatory revision. A Trial of the Pyx is called for in Neal Stephenson's fiction novel The System of the World, where it is revealed that Jack Shaftoe raided the Tower of London specifically to tamper with the Pyx, Viscount Bolingbroke and Charles White use the event as leverage for political attack against Whigs, specifically Isaac Newton. (b)after weighing the coins, shall group them by type and assay such number of coins as they think fit, comparing them with the standard trial plate of platinum, so as to ascertain whether the metal of the coins of each type is on the whole within the permitted variation from the standard composition.―; . Article 2(e) replaces the Treasury’s obligation to publish the jury’s verdict in the London Gazette, with an obligation to make the verdict publicly available in such manner as the Treasury consider appropriate. It is intended that the verdict will normally be made available on the public website of the Treasury. Every single year since 1282 the Trial of the Pyx has taken place – during which a legally recognised jury, in the presence of the Queen’s Remembrancer, is sworn in to run the rule over the coins the Royal Mint produces to make absolutely sure no one is scrimping, stealing or cheating the public when it comes to the pounds and pence used in the UK. Smelting, weighing and measuring the year’s coins, the Goldsmiths Company of the City of London has evaluated our coins since Queen Elizabeth I gave it that power more than 500 years ago. The trial originally took place in Westminster Hall, then at the Exchequer, but common sense finally prevailed in 1870 and the venue was moved to Goldsmith’s Hall – next to the Assay Office that has been responsible for testing the quality of British gold and silver since 1327. The Queen’s Remembrancer is the oldest judicial position still existing in the UK – first created in 1164 by Henry II. They are the senior judge in the Courts of Justice, and pleasingly still seem to act up their ancient role during the Trial of the Pyx: Bedecked in a tricorn hat, wig and “rambling on in an affected Scottish brogue― according to one recent witness. Steven Whitaker currently holds the role. The jury is made up of “Freemen of the Goldsmiths Company― – to be precise prime warden of the Goldsmiths’ Company (currently silversmith Hector Miller) with the three supporting wardens, the head of the Assay Office and a selection of the Company’s liverymen. Depending on the number of coins to be checked, the total number changes, but it’s generally about 20-strong. The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths – to use its full title – has been responsible for checking the quality of gold and silver in Britain since 1300 (and platinum since 1975). They’re the people responsible for hallmarks on gold and silver (in fact, the word “hallmark― itself is related to the Goldsmith’s Hall where items were brought for marking). As a legally convened court – complete with jury and judge – a verdict would have to be passed. The Queen’s Remembrancer would direct the verdict – which would then be delivered to the Department of Trade and Industry, the Mint and published “as the Treasury sees fit― according to the latest legislation. What they could actually do about it is rather unclear. Quotes are real-time for NASDAQ, NYSE, and NYSEAmex when available. See also delay times for other exchanges. Quotes and other information supplied by independent providers identified on the Yahoo! Finance partner page. Quotes are updated automatically, but will be turned off after 25 minutes of inactivity. Quotes are delayed at least 15 minutes. All information provided "as is" for informational purposes only, not intended for trading purposes or advice. Neither Yahoo! nor any of independent providers is liable for any informational errors, incompleteness, or delays, or for any actions taken in reliance on information contained herein. By accessing the Yahoo! site, you agree not to redistribute the information found therein. http://kgarch.org/kfn.pdf http://kgarch.org/k8h.pdf http://kgarch.org/8de.pdf http://kgarch.org/k42.pdf http://kgarch.org/jkm.pdf http://kgarch.org/gi9.pdf http://kgarch.org/n1e.pdf http://kgarch.org/725.pdf http://kgarch.org/1172.pdf.
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