Draft of MINT00287 (Mint 19/2/602-3)

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Proposals for preserving & encreasing the Coyn of this Kingdom.

All Spanish Barrs & other Ingots of silver & all Virgin silver & all other silver Bullion 2 imported & designed for exportation shall upon its first coming up the river of Thames to the Custome house be brought to the Mint by the Master of the ship & one or more other witnesses who shall there shew their Bill of lading & prove the importation upon oath. And the said Virgin silver & Bullion not yet dune into ingots & all forreign monies designed for exportation shall be there melted into Ingots. And these Ingots & all other ingots above mentioned shall at the choise of the Merchant be either coyned into monies or marked with a stamp provided in the Mint for that purpose. And the Master of the Mint if desired shall give the Merchant an indented Ticket certifying the weight of the monies coyned out of the said foreign silver & the time of coynage thereof: which Ticket shall be cut out a Book kept in the Mint & shall be entered in the same book.

Ingots not markt with the Mint stamp may not be exported nor carried into any ship nor bought or sold but may be brought to the Mint for encreasing the coyn of this kingdom. This law now obteins in France by an Edict of March was a twelvemonth for preventing the melting down of the monies.

Ingots imported from Ireland Flanders Holland or any Port within or bordering upon the British seas shall shall be brought to the Mint for increasing the coyn of this kingdom, & not markt for exportation unless it can be proved that the said Ingots were not made (in whole or in par) of English monies melted down in those countries or Ports but were imported thither from some place without the bounds of those seas. For proof whereof the oath of two witnesses grounded either upon their own knowledge or upon the oath of other two witnesses taken abroad in their presence shall be sufficient.