April 16, 2026
Jersey Bronze Coinage of 1926 Correspondence and Timeline
Royal Mint file 1619/26 — from initial enquiry to final payment
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Enquiry
Authority
Mint internal
Delivery
Payment
| Date | Phase | From | To | Summary | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 — Enquiry & Commercial Terms | |||||
| 4 Jan 1926 | Enquiry | Herbert F. BreaultTreasurer of the States of Jersey | Deputy Master & ComptrollerRoyal Mint, London E.1 | Asks whether £595 of Jersey copper similar to the 1923 issue could be minted — the balance of the £3,000 authorised by Order in Council of 29 January 1923. Notes roughly £35 of old copper coin available for remelting as on the last occasion. Signals that formal application will follow through the usual channels. The founding letter of the transaction. Breault approaches the Mint directly before the formal bureaucratic chain is engaged. | 1619/26 |
| 6 Jan 1926 | Mint internal | Internal memorandumMint Superintendent | Deputy MasterRoyal Mint | Assesses the order as “quite a small coinage, being about 200,000 pieces if both pence and halfpence are required” and confirms it could easily be undertaken. Provides estimated costs separately for metal and manufacture for both denominations. Endorses remelting the old copper with a credit for metal weight.
Metal — Pence, per 1,000 pcs.13s.10d.
Metal — Halfpence, per 1,000 pcs.8s.4d.
Manufacture — Pence, per 1,000 pcs.9s.4d.
Manufacture — Halfpence, per 1,000 pcs.8s.0d.
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| 9 Jan 1926 | Mint internal | Manuscript noteInitialled W.N.t.S. | Draft replyRoyal Mint | Appended to the draft reply: standard manufacturing charges are being quoted as before, even though the numbers are smaller than on the last occasion. The Mint’s tariff rates are not discounted for small orders. Confirms continuity with 1923 pricing policy. | — |
| 11 Jan 1926 | Enquiry | Acting Deputy MasterRoyal Mint (sig. W.G.St.) | Treasurer of the StatesJersey | Formally confirms the Mint will undertake the £595 bronze coinage. Asks Breault to confirm the amounts required in pence and halfpennies respectively. Sets binding charges: £1.3.2 per 1,000 pieces for pence and 16s.4d. per 1,000 pieces for halfpennies — inclusive of metal and manufacture. Confirms old copper coin can be received, remelted, and the metal value credited. The commercial terms governing the entire transaction are established here. | 1619/26 |
| 20 Jan 1926 | Enquiry | Herbert F. BreaultTreasurer of the States of Jersey | Deputy MasterRoyal Mint | In reply to the Mint’s letter of 11 January, forwards this day two boxes of old copper coin for remelting. Confirms the formal application for permission to coin £595 has been made through the usual channels. A manuscript annotation added later (9 April) records: “Foreign bronze a/c — wt. need = 197 lbs”. | 1619/26 |
| Phase 2 — The Chain of Authority | |||||
| 29 Jan 1926 | Herbert F. BreaultTreasurer of the States of Jersey | Sir William Henry Venables Vernon, K.B.E.Bailiff of Jersey | Formal request under the Act of 31 October 1922 (confirmed by Order in Council 29 January 1923) for coinage of £595 copper money: £345 in pennies and £250 in halfpennies. Finance Committee desires the same pattern and design as those last issued. Encloses copy of the Act. Asks the Bailiff to request His Excellency the Lieut. Governor to submit the application to the Master of the Mint. | 1619/26 | |
| 2 Feb 1926 | F. R. Bingham, Major GeneralLieutenant Governor of Jersey | Under Secretary of StateHome Office, Whitehall | Transmits the Treasurer’s letter with enclosures and requests that the usual steps be taken to give effect to the provisions of the 1922 Act and to the requirements of the Jersey Finance Committee as expressed in the Treasurer’s letter. Reference 10/26. The second link in the constitutional chain. | 10/26 | |
| 9 Feb 1926 | N. M. Martin-JonesHome Office, Whitehall | Secretary, TreasuryWhitehall | Cites the Act (“Acte pour émettre en circulation de la Monnaie de Bronze à un montant n’excédant pas £3,000 stg.”) and the Order in Council. Transmits the Lieutenant Governor’s letter and requests the Lords Commissioners, should they see no objection, to make the necessary communication to the Master of the Mint for coinage of £595 (£345 pence + £250 halfpennies). Ref. 176,131/26 / Treasury Ref. S.18309/Pt.A. | S.18309/Pt.A | |
| 18 Feb 1926 | Mint internal | Internal memorandumRoyal Mint | Deputy MasterRoyal Mint | Internal confirmation note (Treasury Reference S.18309/Pt.A): the small coinage of £595 in bronze coin for Jersey can be undertaken by the Mint. The States Treasurer has already been in communication with the Deputy Master and has been informed as to the charges which will be made. Two near-identical copies survive in the file, reflecting parallel filing systems within the Mint. | S.18309/Pt.A |
| 23 Feb 1926 | Lords Commissioners, TreasuryTreasury Chambers, Whitehall | Deputy MasterRoyal Mint | Transmits the Lieutenant Governor’s letter (received via the Home Office) and conveys the authority of the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty’s Treasury to supply copper coins to the total nominal value of £595: £345 in pennies and £250 in half-pennies. The chain of authority is complete. The Mint may now proceed. | S.18309/Pt.A | |
| Phase 3 — Manufacture & Internal Processing | |||||
| c. Feb–Mar 1926 | Mint internal | Chief ClerkRoyal Mint | Treasurer of the StatesJersey | Informs Jersey that the two boxes of old bronze coin have been received and the weight ascertained as 197 lbs avoirdupois. Confirms that allowance for this weight will duly be made in the account for the new coinage. This establishes the precise credit figure later used in the invoice. | 1619/26 |
| 16 Mar 1926 | Mint internal | Internal noteRoyal Mint | Chief Clerk / Mr KennerRoyal Mint | The Southern Railway Co. has been asked to collect the boxes the following day (Wednesday). Instructs Mr. Kenner to make out the account with an allowance for 197 lbs of bronze. | — |
| 17 Mar 1926 | Mint internal | Urgent internal noteInitialled G. | Mr KennerRoyal Mint | Asks whether there are any extra charges for the Jersey halfpennies, as the account is going out that day. Mr. Kenner replies below: “The coinage is so small — no extra charges.” The brevity of the note reflects the small scale of the order: routine enough to require no special treatment. | — |
| 17 Mar 1926 | Mint internal | Internal routing noteMr Cole / Mr Kenner | Imperial Bronze AccountRoyal Mint | The 197 lbs of bronze supplied by Jersey is to be treated as an ordinary purchase of bullion and taken on charge in the Imperial Bronze Account rather than as a direct rebate. The full equivalent (3,225 lbs) will be charged to Colmore; only 3,028 lbs charged to Jersey. Manuscript calculations confirm the derivation of the final invoice figures. | — |
| Phase 4 — Despatch & Delivery | |||||
| 17 Mar 1926 | Delivery | Chief Clerk, Royal Mint | Treasurer of the StatesJersey | Pence and halfpennies despatched today per the Southern Railway Co., with a memorandum of packing enclosed. Requests that the sum of £187.11.1 be placed to the credit of the Mint Cash Account at the Bank of England. | 1619/26 |
| 17 Mar 1926 | Delivery | Royal Mint (packing memo)Form 34B | Treasurer of the States5 Library Place, Jersey | 30 boxes (marked G.A.R.) containing £595 in Jersey bronze coin. Pence £345 (boxes 1–17, £20 face value each); halfpennies £250 (boxes 18–30, £10 and £20 per box). Gross weights recorded box by box in cwt/qrs/lbs/oz. Signed by Staff Clerk. Dated 16/3/26 at Royal Mint E.1. | — |
| 20 Mar 1926 | Delivery | Herbert F. BreaultTreasurer of the States of Jersey | Deputy MasterRoyal Mint | Confirms receipt of all 30 boxes of copper coins as per the Mint’s list. Reports that a cheque for £187.11.1 has been sent to the Governor of the Bank of England to be placed to the credit of the Mint Cash Account. Final letter of the correspondence file. The transaction is complete. | 1619/26 |
| Phase 5 — Invoice & Payment | |||||
| 17 Mar 1926 | Payment | Royal Mint(invoice) | The States of Jersey | Invoice for bronze coinage of £595 face value, coin delivered 17 March 1926:
Pence: 82,800 pcs @ £1.3.2 per 1,000£95.18.3
Halfpennies: 120,000 pcs @ 16s.4d. per 2,000£98.0.0
Subtotal£193.18.3
Less: credit 197 lbs bronze @ £72.6s. per ton−£6.7.2
Net amount due£187.11.1
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| 20 Mar 1926 | Payment | Herbert F. BreaultTreasurer of the States of Jersey | Governor, Bank of Englandvia the Mint Cash Account | Cheque for £187.11.1 (one hundred and eighty-seven pounds, eleven shillings and one penny) sent to the Governor of the Bank of England to be placed to the credit of the Mint Cash Account — the sum due for the bronze coinage to the order of the States of Jersey. Account settled on receipt of the coins. The financial year does not impose the same urgency here as in 1924. | 1619/26 |
MINT 20/827, Jersey: issue and withdrawal of coinage. 1923–1926. The Public Record Office, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK.
Source images: Royal Mint correspondence file 1619/26 and Treasury Reference S.18309/Pt.A, January–March 1926.