Soho Mint
Encyclopedia
Soho Mint was created by Matthew Boulton
in 1788 in his Soho Manufactory
in Handsworth, West Midlands
, England. A mint
was erected at the manufactory containing eight machines, driven by steam engine
, each capable of striking 70 to 84 coins per minute.
In addition to copper domestic coins, silver coins were made for some of the colonies, and various medals and trade tokens were struck.
After the demise of the Soho Mint some of the machinery was bought at auction by the new Birmingham Mint
of Ralph Heaton II .
ing.
In order to differentiate his proposed copper coins from counterfeits he specified them as follows:
twopence:2 ounces weight, diameter 8 to the foot
penny
:1 ounce, diameter 17 to two feet
half-penny
:1/2 ounce, diameter 10 to a foot
farthing
:1/4 ounce, diameter 12 to a foot
In 1797 the first, and only, copper twopenny and the first penny coins were produced under contract although the smaller denominations did not follow until later. These coins were comparatively large, having a broad raised rim with the inscription pressed below the surface and became known as the cartwheel pennies. Over 45 million were minted in two years.
Matthew Boulton
Matthew Boulton, FRS was an English manufacturer and business partner of Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century the partnership installed hundreds of Boulton & Watt steam engines, which were a great advance on the state of the art, making possible the...
in 1788 in his Soho Manufactory
Soho Manufactory
The Soho Manufactory was an early factory which pioneered mass production on the assembly line principle, in Soho, Smethwick, England, during the Industrial Revolution.-Beginnings:...
in Handsworth, West Midlands
Handsworth, West Midlands
Handsworth is an inner city area of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. The Local Government Act 1894 divided the ancient Staffordshire parish of Handsworth into two urban districts: Handsworth and Perry Barr. Handsworth was annexed to the county borough of Birmingham in Warwickshire in 1911...
, England. A mint
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
was erected at the manufactory containing eight machines, driven by steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
, each capable of striking 70 to 84 coins per minute.
In addition to copper domestic coins, silver coins were made for some of the colonies, and various medals and trade tokens were struck.
After the demise of the Soho Mint some of the machinery was bought at auction by the new Birmingham Mint
Birmingham Mint
The Birmingham Mint, a coining mint, originally known as Heaton's Mint or Ralph Heaton & Sons, in Birmingham, England started producing tokens and coins in 1850 as a private enterprise, separate from, but in cooperation with the Royal Mint. Its factory was situated in Icknield Street , on the edge...
of Ralph Heaton II .
Cartwheel penny
The common coinage, copper halfpennies, was subject to severe counterfeitCounterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
ing.
In order to differentiate his proposed copper coins from counterfeits he specified them as follows:
twopence:2 ounces weight, diameter 8 to the foot
penny
British One Penny coin (pre-decimal)
The English Penny, originally a coin of 1.3 to 1.5 g pure silver, includes the penny introduced around the year 785 by King Offa of Mercia. However, his coins were similar in size and weight to the continental deniers of the period, and to the Anglo-Saxon sceats which had gone before it, which were...
:1 ounce, diameter 17 to two feet
half-penny
British Halfpenny coin
The British halfpenny coin was worth 1/480th of a pound sterling. At first in its 700 year history it was made from silver but as the value of silver increased, the coin was made from base metals. It was finally abandoned in 1969 as part of the process of decimalising the British currency...
:1/2 ounce, diameter 10 to a foot
farthing
British Farthing coin
A farthing was a coin of England, Great Britain, and finally of the United Kingdom, worth one quarter of a penny, 1/960th of a pound sterling...
:1/4 ounce, diameter 12 to a foot
In 1797 the first, and only, copper twopenny and the first penny coins were produced under contract although the smaller denominations did not follow until later. These coins were comparatively large, having a broad raised rim with the inscription pressed below the surface and became known as the cartwheel pennies. Over 45 million were minted in two years.
See also
- British halfpenny coin regarding counterfeit coinage
- History of the British penny (1714-1901)History of the British penny (1714-1901)The History of the Penny of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from 1714 to 1901 covers the period of the House of Hanover.-Silver pennies:...
- Old BessOld Bess (beam engine)Old Bess is an early beam engine built by the partnership of Boulton and Watt. The engine was constructed in 1777 and worked until 1848.The engine is most obviously known simply for being an early example of an engine built by Boulton and Watt...
, a steam engine at the Mint
External links
- Britain's Cartwheel Coinage of 1797
- On Matthew Bolton and the Soho mint
- British Coins - Free information about British coins. Includes an online forum.
- sohomint.info A website celebrating Matthew Boulton, his mint and its products