Today in 1804 - The United Kingdom mints its first metal coins, finally replacing the old oak wooden coins. The role of Master of the Royal Mint was held by Sir Isaac Newton himself during the early wooden years, and it was he who pioneered the art of stamping the faces of various royals into the varnished oak coins. By 1804, however, the Master of the Royal Mint was Edwin Schlang, a former monk who had promoted the use of metals in coinage for many years. The first coins minted in the new Royal Mint were gold guineas, which were undoubtedly the major British coin of the eighteenth century. They were given the nominal value of 20 shillings. Schlang was an awkward man, and very short in stature. He was so short, in fact, that many people thought he was far away. It was only when they felt his breath on their arm that they realised he was standing next to them... a startling experience he was able to use to great effect in board meetings. While many old oak coins are still found in Britain to this date, most were either handed back to the mint for burning, or nailed to the bottom of chair and table-legs to stop them from wobbling. It is from here we get the phrase throwing money at a problem. A mint-condition varnished oak guinea currently runs to a market value of over ten thousand pounds sterling among collectors.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 04:11:14 +0000
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