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WHILE CENTRAL BANKS debate the merits of a purely electronic, cashless society, a near-800 year old ceremony to test Britain’s coinage is taking place in a quiet corner of London.
It might sound like something out of Harry Potter, but the Trial of the Pyx is real and has been conducted in London yearly since the late 13th century.
The ceremony, conducted in Goldsmiths’ Hall, puts the Royal Mint on trial. Around 96,000 coins are scrutinised over a four month period.
The coins are “assayed” or tested for imperfections and impurities in the metals used to make them, to confirm their value.
A sample of all the coins made by the Royal Mint are tried in this way – from a £1,000 pound commemorative coin made from a kilo of solid gold, down to the lowly 20p piece.
The opening of this year’s trial on 2 February was full of pomp and circumstance. It’s carried out by the Queen’s Remembrancer, a judge, who swears in the 16-strong jury who have the job of counting the coins sent for testing by the Royal Mint.
While it’s mostly ceremonial, the Trial of the Pyx has an important message – merchants, not the state or the monarchy, must have power over the country’s currency. To allow the state to have power over the currency risks eroding its credibility.
Permission for the City of London to test the coins produced by the Royal Mint was granted by the Crown in the 13th century. Before that, the reigning monarch had a monopoly on producing and testing Britain’s coinage and would periodically alter the standards for the coins to finance wars.
“There was the inherent danger of inflation and currency corruption,” the Queen’s Remembrancer, Barbara Fontaine, said in her speech to open proceedings. The Trial was ”a key stage of development of the international trust in our coinage”.
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The Minister of Justice is a dinosaur in the stone age with suggestions like that, I think the Garda is a tuff job, however outright banning of photos and filming of them in there duties is about the most dictatorship thing I have heard from the Irish state. I honestly, can’t believe the man came out with this suggestion and is meant to be representing public interests? He needs to go, he is useless to be honest, little interest in the job, and clearly just saying things to try please people and sitting it out for his pension. The Garda and public should want a Minister for Justice who comes out with pro active suggestions and is engaging with the commissioner and public for change in the Garda and in particular the failing Justice system. What exactly has he done so far? Nothing at all.
@Dave.: After these comments they should be asking for his resignation. Clearly no regard for the impact of what he was suggesting.
@Shane Corry: “his” being Charlie Flanagan I’ll add.
Good man LEO ,you know what side your bread is buttered on ,clever boy ,poor old charlie ,its time he went out to grass .
This will make people take even more photos and videos now
@Peter: that’s like saying, if we build a Hospital people will start having accidents…
Leo has some sense at least..
@ObsidianShine: Leo fears the people when they stand up for themselves. We need much more of it.
Just come down hard on people attempting to dox the guards online.
@Pól Ó hAodha: Any bullying online shouldn’t be tolerated.
There is a group trying to link accountability to online bullying. The fact that what people say online may be closer to reality than any red C pole is what’s behind this, Journalism and RTE state radio have lost their place in affecting opinion.
@Dot Com: Your last comment is delusional.
@Danny Rafferty: That’s only your opinion, The facts back me up.
@Dot Com: Where is the evidence for your opinion about facts. Perhaps the delusional state you accused others of lies elsewhere.
Charlie hankering for Blueshirt era.
@marg fitzgerald: It was a smokescreen to cover up balaclava wearing garda. maybe if he hadn’t tried to hide his face and acted like a bully.
Correct decision. Will the thugs with the hoodies & scarf’s on their faces also be made to show their faces while protesting
@ciaran kehoe:
“Thugs an hoodies” you’re talking about the guards, right?
@ciaran kehoe: No because the incidence of intimidation of cops is a rarity compared to intimidation of citizens by cops for their political views. Also people protesting are not being paid by the state for doing a job and are more than entitled to wear whatever they want.
@sixmile: No actually the so called peaceful protestors.
@Kevin Cottor: Why the need to hide their faces if they are not breaking the law
@ciaran kehoe: Thugs don’t usually possess the “social conscience” required to give up their time, risk being branded as “thugs” by ignoramuses, and set themselves up as potential targets for “Garda Harassment,” do they?
Finally Leo says something I actually agree with.
No way …..I wonder how many senior civil servants and PR consulants missed lunch before they told Leo what to say.
The only time I ever heard the like of it was in Dubai where it was not permitted to take photos of the Emir’s palace or grounds.
When I read the story today about not taking photos of Gardai on duty it felt in that moment I was transported back to that regime.
What an absurd suggestion in the first place. Next they’ll be introducing the Stazí.
Good man leo
@Brendan Harney: common sense really, either poor old Charlie didn’t think it through, or it was just silly kite flying. That’ll go on his debit column.
Varadkar as usual tested the water and knew that there would be uproar.
Specialist units should not be photographed.
@JesusMoreBullshit: what if a member of a specialist unit is kicking the lard out of a pensioner and you’re the only witness and you have a camera? What would you do then?
@Joey Navinski: eh – maybe intervene!!! What good would recording an assault be? I’d prefer if someone would try to help me rather than record me being assaulted…. & if they couldn’t help then maybe they could use their phone to call for help
@Angela Lavin: But if you intervene then you are arrested for disrupting the course of justice.
Citizens have every right to create their own chain of evidence when dealing with the police. Although many gardai are good people doing a good and important job, there are some that misuse the power they have and do not follow the rules they are supposed to uphold. Technology goes some way towards being able to hold those gardai accountable.
Fair play so, time now for the Garda to have personal cameras so they can record the abuse they encounter and which should be admissible evidence if needed.
Good on you Leo
Charlie Flanagan should be put put to grass for making such a ridiculous suggestion and throw out Alan Kelly also for agreeing with him.
Gardai need to be held accountable and if it’s necessary to video or photograph them – then so be it. They can console themselves with all their allowances and perks.
@Barry Foster: only job on the world that gets paid and perks? Thought it was a common aspect of employment
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