Report on a proposal by Charles Tunnah and William Dale to coin 1,000 tons of halfpence and farthings from an artificial metal similar to gold Isaac Newton c. 395 words The Newton Project Oxford 2017 Newton Project, University of Oxford

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 23 January 1713/14, c. 395 words. Treasury

Draft of T. 1/172.25, MINT00981 (printed in Shaw, 186-7, where it is misdated 27 January, and NC, 6: 58-9). Another draft at MINT00893(b) (Mint 19/2/334-5). Tunnah's and Dale's proposal is also in Shaw, 188-9.

Advise rejection of the bid, since such a metal is likely to be very useful to counterfeiters, there is no way of testing its intrinsic value, and nothing like 1,000 tons of extra copper money is needed anyway.

 MINT 19/2/435, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK UKSurreyKew, RichmondNational Archives MINT 19/2/435 23 January 1713/14 England English Holograph MintCopper Coinage Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins
435346

To the most HonbleHonourable the Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, Lord H.High Treasurer of great Britain

May it please yoryour LordpLordship

In obedience to yoryour LordpsLordships Order of Reference upon the annexed Memorial of Mr Charles Tunnah & Mr William Dale for coyning in ten years a thousand Tunns of halfpence & farthings of an artificial metal which toucheth like ordinary gold & for cutting a pound weight averdupois into 32 pence: We humbly represent

That the selling blancht copper or making it for sale is forbidden by law upon pain of death because of its fitness to be used in counterfeiting the silver moneys: & for the same reason it may be of dangerous consequence to encourage the making of an artificial metall wchwhich toucheth like gold & is used in making sword hilts & other wares in imitation of gold. The halfpence made of this metall & melted down with a little fine gold may make a composition very dangerous for counterfeiting the gold moneys.

That in the last coinage of copper moneys an hundred Tunns per annum at the end of six years occasioned great complaints in Parliament so as to cause the coynage to be stopt for a year. And after another hundred Tunns were coined the nation was overstockt for four or five years. And therefore six hundred tunns may be deemed sufficient for yethe use of all England, whereof there seem to be about 500 Tunns already current.

That the secret of making this metal being known only to the Petitioners, it has no known intrinsic value or market price: whereas halfpence or& farthings (like other money) should be made of a metall whose price among Merchants is known, & should be coined as neare as can be to that price including the charge of coynage.

And that the people are not nice & curious in taking good copper money, but may be imposed upon by money made of Princes metal instead of the metal here proposed: & that the cutting a pound weight into 32 pence may be a great temptation to counterfeit such money

All wchwhich reasons incline us to prefer a coynage of good copper according to the intrinsic value of the metal. But we most humbly submit our opinion to yoryour LordpsLordships great wisdome.

Cra: Peyton

Is Newton

Mint Office 23 Ian. 17134.