THE STANDARD.
121
cording to the number of gold coins that can be made out of an ounce of gold. This simple fact has not been generally observed. There are five standards for gold, and two for silver. The manufacturer may use either at his cption, informing the authorities at the Assay Office which he has adopted, in each parcel of goods The Higher Standards for Gold are 22 and sent to be assayed. 18 karats of pure metal in every ounce, the ounce containing 24 karats so that in each ounce there may be 2 or 6 karats (one -twelfth The coinage of England is or a quarter of the weight of alloy. of the higher standard, 22 karats. The lower standard is used for :
all manufacturing purposes, except in the case of wedding rings, which are usually made of 22 karat gold. Since 1854, debased gold standards of 15, 12, and 9 karats in the ounce of 24 karats have been legalised. The Standards for Silver are 11 oz. 10 dwts. and
dwts. of pure metal in every pound troy. The higher stanseldom or never used. The silver coinage is of the lower standard. It has been seen that in the year 1697 there was an alteration in the standard of fineness of silver, which was increased from 1 1 oz. 2 dwts. to II oz. 10 dwts. in the pound troy. This better standard was denoted by a change of stamps as follows: (i) The marks of the workers to be expressed by the two first letters of their surnames. (2) The mark of the mystery or craft of the goldsmith which instead of the leopard's head was to be a lion's head erased. (3) Instead of the lion, the figure of a woman, commonly called Britannia, was to be substituted; and (4) distinct variable mark to be used by the warden of the said mystery to denote the year in which such Both these marks were, after 1700, used by the plate was made. provincial Assay Offices, but the lion's head erased was omitted on silver of the new standard at Sheffield and Birmingham. On referring to the minutes of the Goldsmiths' Company, we find that, "on the 29th day of May, 1695, new puncheons were reAnd on ceived, the letter for the year being t in an escutcheon." "the 27th March, 1697, the puncheons for the remaining part of this year (viz., up to the 30th May) were received, being, according to Act of Parliament, a lyon's head erased, a Britannia, and for the letter, the great court A in an escutcheon." 1 1
oz. 2
dard
is
A