| Description | Buxton, Sep. 2, ’89
Dear Sir,
I received at this place your acceptable favour of the 27 August, and should have instantly conform’d to your wishes had it been in my power; but so soon as I return home, which will be about the end of this month, I will not fail to send you some more half pence.
I never struck one with Lord Effingham’s name round the edge, and I presume if any other person did, it was with letters indented, which is easily done, like the halfpence of Anglesey, but not so easy with the letters in relief and so well defin’d as those in my ½ peny.
The old crown and half crown pieces had letters mill’d on their edges by passing the pieces between two parrallell rules (call’d a milling machine), and by this machine either letters indented or in relief may be put on the edges before the pieces are struck; but they unavoidably become deform’d by the strikeing of the piece, whereas mine are struck at the same blow.
A small quantity of Anglesey half pence were struck in a plain coller after the indented letters had been mill’d on; but it was found so troublesome and so expensive that they were obliged to desist from that practise and strike them without collers. I have also heard of an attempt to strike crown pieces at the Tower in collers, but it was found so troublesome and the collers so hazardous that I believe there never was half a dozen of them struck, and if such a thing had been proposed to the moneyers they would have concluded that it would be worth a peny at least to make a half peny. You’l see by the paper I gave you on the subject that I propose to combine the difficulties of makeing a part of the inscription in relief and a part indented; but I have already spent too much time and money, unless I should be employ’d by Goverment to execute the new intended copper [represented by a symbol] coinage, and in that case I will make them many other specimens of coin, which may lead to improvments in both gold [[represented by a symbol] and silver [represented by a symbol] money, such as preventing the gold [represented by a symbol]from wearing away so fast, and detecting both the weight and discovering the specifick gravity more easily.
It is not sufficient for a copyist to immatate my coin, but ’tis absolutely necessary that it should be done at half the expence which the bad coin hath cost our Goverment, as the best preventitive against counterfeits. It ought to be done upon such terms as to put it out of my power to coin, deliver, and put it into circulation, so as to gain any profit by it; and then you may be assured that all men would prefer makeing buttons at a moderate profit that ½ pence at a small profit. I took up the subject because I thought it would be a publick good, and because Mr. Pitt had express’d a wish to me of seeing something done to put an end to counterfeiting the copper coin.
I yet hope to see my wishes accomplished and my improvements render’d usefull to the publick by an application of them in his Majesties Mint.
I beg you will present my very respectfull compliments to Miss Banks, with assurances that so soon as I return home I will send all the specimens I have, and shall think my self honour’d by their haveing a place in her cabinet.
I am, with the highest respect and sincere regard, dear sir, tour faithfull and obliged humble servant,
Mattw. Boulton
[Edited transcript.] |