Draft of MINT00070 (Mint 19/1/172-3)

<146r>

To the Rt. Honble the Lord High Treasurer of England

May it please yor: Lordp.

A Question being moved about a Clause in the Gravers Patent I humbly beg leave to lay the matter before your Lordship. All persons haveing a liberty to make Medals unless restrained by the Government, the Gravers of the Mint have by a clause in their Patent been allowed and all others prohibited to make Medals with the Effigies of the King or Queen. And this Office or Place of Medal-maker to the Crown has been sometimes Eencouraged by a Large Salary out of the Civil List & sometimes Ggranted to strangers and is no part of the Cconstitution of the Mint For by the standing constitution of the Mint the Moneyers Ccoyne Wwhatever the Government has occasion forwants whether Money Medals or hHealing pieces, the Mmetal weight allay & form of the money and Mmedals being first appointed by the King or Queen by the advice of the Council, and the Graver only makes the stamps. This I take to be the proper way of Ccoyning such Medals as the Government approves of & I am humbly of Oopinion that no other Medals should be Ccoyned by the Mint.

The Gravers privilege of makeing other Medals for their private advantage is an encouragement to them to improve themselves and to be Ccontent with less Ssalaries. If it be Ccontinued they may be obliged to set their Nnames or ye first Lletters thereof on their own Medals to distinguish them from Medals made by the Mint or be otherwise limited as yor Lordp shall think fit if abrogated they may want Ssome other encouragement to improve themselves & may expect to be paid for their Dyes & Puncheons they make for Medals. Whether it shall be Ccontinued & in what manner or be abrogated is most humbly Ssubmitted to your Lordships Ggreat Wwisdom