History in your hands

Trial by jury

This commemorative gold coin honours the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, a tribute to the legacy of the greatest writer who ever lived.

Chosen for quality testing and carried in the ancient wooden chests that give the ceremony its name, these are the actual coins from this release put before the jury at the Trial of the Pyx. Benchmarked against the trial plates in a ritual that has barely changed in centuries, they help safeguard the integrity of our currency — ensuring coins made by The Royal Mint are the correct weight, diameter and composition required by law.

Available to buy for the very first time, in strictly limited quantities, each coin is presented complete with a brochure, a letter and a book about the Trial of the Pyx from The Goldsmiths’ Company, with a certificate of authenticity hand-signed by Graeme Smith, The Queen’s Assay Master.