Trial of the Pyx Trial of the Pyx The Trial of the Pyx () is the procedure in the United Kingdom for ensuring that newly minted coins conform to the required standards. These trials have been held from the twelfth century to the present day, normally once per calendar year. The form of the ceremony has been essentially the same since 1282 AD. These events are trials in the full judicial sense, presided over by a judge with an expert jury of metallurgical assayers. Given modern production methods, it is unlikely that coins would not conform, but this has been a problem in the
The Great Debasement coin be reproduced. For the next two years the newly minted debased coins including the reintroduced Testoon were stockpiled in Jewel Tower in the Palace of Westminster while production of coins at the current standard continued. By May 1544 a lack of bullion arriving at the mint prompted the government to issue the secret indenture and allow the debased coins to enter into general circulation. Two months later in July 1544 merchants of the Low Countries discovered that newly minted silver groats had become debased and begun offering a lower price for them. The introduction of these debased coins caused