Drafts of a response to John Perry's application to coin copper (Mint 19/2/306) and a recommendation of Charles Brattell for assay master (Mint 19/1/93)

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In obedience to your Lordships Orders of Reference upon the Petitions of several persons to succeed Mr Dan. Brattel in the Officer of Assaymaster to her Majestys Mint in the Tower: We humbly represent that we believe Mr Charles Brattell the said Daniel to be well qualified for that Place & him the fittest person among the Petitioners to succeed therein

All which

In obedience to your Lordships Order of Reference upon the Petition    of John Pery & others for supplying the Mint with either blanks or plates of fine copper to be coined into half pence or farthings, I humbly represent that whenever there shall be a coinage of copper money whether it be by Patent or upon account, the whole coinage including the making of the blanks be done in the Mint it being unsafe to have coining tools & coinage abroad. And that the Petitioners & others who have copper works be treated with, & his copper chosen which is best coloured & most malleable & cheapest of those sorts of copper which will hammer when red hot. Such copper is worth about 11 or 12d the pound, & There is no certain test of finer copper. And the great price of the finest copper will tempt people to counterfeit the money made thereof. The copper may be either hammered into plates at the copper mills or cast into barrs in the Mint by the addition of 2 or 3 ounces of Tin to an hundred weight of copper in fusion to make the metal run close. The latter way is cheaper by 2d in the pound weight & the less the extrinsic value of the money is the less apt it will be to be counterfeited.

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In obedience to your Lordships Order of Regerence upon the Petitions of John Pery & others for making either blancks of plates of fine coper for coining half pence or farthings We humbly represent That copper money is at present very little wanted, but if it shall be thought fit to put the coinage of such money into a standing method, We are humbly of opinion 1 That the whole coinage, including the blanks, be done in the Mint, it being unsafe to have coining tools & coinage abroad.

2 That it be done of the cheapest fine copper which will hammer when red hot & is worth about 11d or 12d per pound weight. In finer & dearer copper we may be deceived, there being no certain test of its degrees of fineness, & the great price will tempt fals coiners to counterfeit it

3 That it be done out of copper either hammered into plates at the copper mills, or cast into barrs or fillets at the Mint with an addition of two or three ounces of Tin to an hundred weight of copper in fusion to make the metal runn close. The last way is cheapest by 2d in the pound weight & therefore to be preferred. For there will be least got by counterfeiting that money whose workmanship is cheapest.

4 That the stamp for avoiding frequent trouble to the Queen & Council in altering it, remain one & the same unless it shall be thought fit at any time upon any extraordinary occasion to alter it.

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

6 That an Importer be appointed to buy & import the copper by weight & receive it back by weight & tale & put the same away, & that he be paid by the weight of the copper for his pains & charges.

7 That the Master & Worker for the time being be charged & discharged by his Note as in the coinage of Gold & Silver & be allowed a Teller for weighing & telling the money between hiom & the Importer & entring all receipts & payments, & that if the copper imported prove not good upon the Assay the Master have power to refuse it.

That a person be appointed to survey the Meltings & the whole coinage.

8. That all the charge of Copper, coinage, coining tools, wages & incidents be paid out of the profits of the coinage, & that there be no standing salaries to increase the extrinsic value of the money.

9 That a coinage of about 20 or 30 Tunns once in three or four years or 50 Tunns once in 6 or 8 years is sufficient for supply the daily loss & wast of the money already coined & may prove too much if the counterfeiting of this money increases. And that a coinage of twenty or thirty or at the most 50 Tunns is abundantly sufficent at present.

10 That such a coinage may be done by from time to time by one & the same standing commission & that it be in the power of the Lord High Treasurer or Commissioners of the Treasury for the time being to appoint by warrant the quantity of Copper money to be coined at any time, & that for preventing clamours he appoint it by small quantities suppose of 10, 20 or 25 Tunns in a Warrant.

11 That the Accountant whether he be the Master or the Importer be allowed for his hazzards trouble & charges in Cashkeeping & accounting.