What's in a Name

“Long live the tradition of 'The Pyx' ”

The Kings and Queens of England used to make their own gold and silver coins at the Royal Mint for use by their loyal subjects. They made the coins smaller or thinner, adding impurities and other tricks to make the gold and silver go further.

Since the early 13th century, coins were selected during the year and placed in a box which would be opened annually by the Goldsmiths’ Company of the City of London and tested to ensure they met the prescribed tolerances.

The box is called ‘Pyx’ and the annual testing is called the ‘Trial of the Pyx.’

Hence, Pyx is a box containing gold and silver coin samplings.

The Trial is still held annually in Cardiff Wales, the current site of the Royal Mint in England.