Draft of MINT00605 (Mint 19/2/306)

<431r>

Parker.

May it please your Lordp

In obedience to yor Lordps Order of Reference upon the Petions {sic} of Iohn Perry & others for making either blanks or plates of fine copper for coining of half pence & farthings We are humbly of opinion that when ever it sha a new coinage of such money shall be thought {illeg}fit,2 the same be made of such fine copper as will hammer when red hot, & is worth about 11$\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{2}}$ or {illeg} {illeg} or 12d per pound weight Averdupois unwrought or 1{illeg}& 3 more when wrought into plates. There is no assay of finer copper to be depended upon.

1 That the blanks wth the rest of the coinage whole coinage be done in the Tower & that either by casting are wrought copper into bars for making the blanks or for by cutting the copperblanks out of the plates wrought wrought at ye mells. copper mills. {sic}the {sic} Mint it being unsafe to have coining tools & coinage abroa{illeg}d.

3 That it be done of coper either by castin hammered into plates at the Copper mills or cast into barrs in the Mint. In The first last way the money will look as well as in the {illeg}first without any sensible difference, & in the lastfirst it will be 2d in the pound dearer then in ye firstlast. But in the first must have last way there must be two or three ounces of Tinn added to an C wt of copper to make ye metal runn close in the casting, whereas in th{illeg}e last willfirst way the money will be of clean copper. free from said holes In ye formerlatter way a pound weight may be cut into 19 pence in the latterformer into {illeg}21 pence.

That at prsent there is no considerable want of copper money. In some places there is too much. In London it is in little not much wanted. But if ye it be thought fit to set {illeg}on foot the coinage of copper money by a standing commission after the manner of the coinage of gold & silver, the quantity to be coined from time to time may be left to the discretion of the Lord Treasurer. & About 50 Tunns once in six or seven years may be sufficent.

That the stamp for avoiding frequent trouble or altering it be to ye Queen & Council in alt & to yor Lordp in altering it, remain the same, unless it be thought fit at anysome times upon extraordinary occasions to alter it.

That it be edged with such an edging as may be fittest to prevent counterfeiting by casting.

That an Importer be appointed to buy & import the copper by weight & {illeg}receive {illeg} back the moneys by weight & tale, & put the same away, & that ye Master be carged & discharged by his Note {illeg}as in ye coinage of gold & silver. {sic} & that ye Master & ImporThat be allowed each of them a Teller to weigh & tell the money between to {illeg}.to weigh & tell the money to the Importer.