UK coins tested for quality in the ‘Trial of the Pyx’ ceremony

A jury sat solemnly in a gilded hall in central London, presided over by a bewigged representative of the crown in flowing black robes, but there were no criminals in the dock. Britain’s coinage was on trial. In a ceremony that dates back to the 12th century, the jury filed into the Livery Hall of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths to begin the process of weighing and measuring hundreds of coins to ensure they meet stringent standards set by regulators. The tradition—known as the Trial of the Pyx—amounts to a very old type of consumer protection designed to safeguard the nation’s coinage from counterfeiting or other forms of debasement. "It's a way of making sure that if you're in the UK, the coins that are in your pocket are real and reliable, that you know what they're made of, that they are up to the right standards," said Eleni Bide, the librarian for the Goldsmiths' Company. "Making really standardized perfect coins is really important part of preventing forgery." Like the many old ceremonies that the UK continues to observe, the annual assessment of coinage is replete with traditions that link modern Britain to its historic roots. That starts with its name, which comes from the ancient Greek word pyxis, or small box, which was later used in Latin, too. Coins are collected throughout the year and deposited in so-called Pyx boxes, from which jurors randomly select the coins to be tested. The coins selected will be weighed, measured, examined for their design and tested for metallic composition over the next three months before the jury reconvenes to give its verdict on whether they meet regulatory standards. In addition to "a mix of tradition and heritage and a bit of pageantry," Bide said the 770-year-old tradition still has a serious purpose behind it. "I think the important thing to remember that actually, the person who is on trial here is the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the UK," said Bide. This article was provided by The Associated Press.