trial plate

A Trial plate was a piece of metal used as a standard in the assaying of coins to determine a coin's accuracy and fineness.{{sfn|Cherry|1992|p=60}} Plates made from various metals including copper, silver and gold were used in events such as the Trial of the Pyx as benchmarks of quality.{{cite web|title=The Trial of the Pyx|url=https://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk/company/today/trial-pyx/|publisher=Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths|access-date=2 August 2017}} A contender for the earliest known ingot-shaped silver trial plate that dates from 1279 and is held by the Royal Mint Museum in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|title=Trial plate or ingot|url=http://www.royalmintmuseum.org.uk/collection/collection-highlights/trial-plates-weights/trial-plate-or-ingot/index.html|publisher=Royal Mint Museum|access-date=2 August 2017}}