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The Warden of the Mint was in principle the highest ranking officer of the Royal Mint
Royal Mint

The Royal Mint of the United Kingdom is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint , Coins of the pound sterling in the United Kingdom. The Mint originated over 1,100 years ago, but has functioned since 1975 as a Trading Fund, operating in much the same way as a government-owned company....
 of Great Britain
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
, having oversight over its operations and physical plant by virtue of a royal warrant
Warrant (law)

Most often, the term warrant refers to a specific type of authorization; a writ issued by a competent officer, usually a judge or magistrate, which wikt:commands an otherwise illegal act that would violate individual rights and affords the person executing the writ protection from damages if the act is performed....
. The office received a yearly emolument of £500. Technically subordinate to the Warden was the Master of the Mint
Master of the Mint

Master of the Mint was an important office in the governments of Kingdom of Scotland and Kingdom of England, and latterly Great Britain between the 16th and 19th centuries....
. The Master was, in fact, the general contractor for the minting process, delegating the actual production to his subcontractors. The Master's yearly salary of £400 might be augmented to a figure of three to five times that amount, benefiting by the markup he imposed on the coinage actually produced by his subcontractors.

The most illustrious holder of the office of Warden of the Mint was Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton's later life

During his residence in London, Isaac Newton had made the acquaintance of John Locke. Locke had taken a very great interest in the new theories of the Philosophi? Naturalis Principia Mathematica....
, who was warranted to this position on the recommendation of his friend, Montagu
Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax

Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, Order of the Garter, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, Fellow of the Royal Society was an England poet and statesman....
, Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer

The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet of the United Kingdom Minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters....
 in 1696.






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The Warden of the Mint was in principle the highest ranking officer of the Royal Mint
Royal Mint

The Royal Mint of the United Kingdom is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint , Coins of the pound sterling in the United Kingdom. The Mint originated over 1,100 years ago, but has functioned since 1975 as a Trading Fund, operating in much the same way as a government-owned company....
 of Great Britain
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
, having oversight over its operations and physical plant by virtue of a royal warrant
Warrant (law)

Most often, the term warrant refers to a specific type of authorization; a writ issued by a competent officer, usually a judge or magistrate, which wikt:commands an otherwise illegal act that would violate individual rights and affords the person executing the writ protection from damages if the act is performed....
. The office received a yearly emolument of £500. Technically subordinate to the Warden was the Master of the Mint
Master of the Mint

Master of the Mint was an important office in the governments of Kingdom of Scotland and Kingdom of England, and latterly Great Britain between the 16th and 19th centuries....
. The Master was, in fact, the general contractor for the minting process, delegating the actual production to his subcontractors. The Master's yearly salary of £400 might be augmented to a figure of three to five times that amount, benefiting by the markup he imposed on the coinage actually produced by his subcontractors.

The most illustrious holder of the office of Warden of the Mint was Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton's later life

During his residence in London, Isaac Newton had made the acquaintance of John Locke. Locke had taken a very great interest in the new theories of the Philosophi? Naturalis Principia Mathematica....
, who was warranted to this position on the recommendation of his friend, Montagu
Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax

Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, Order of the Garter, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, Fellow of the Royal Society was an England poet and statesman....
, Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer

The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet of the United Kingdom Minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters....
 in 1696. In 1699 however, Newton undertook the office of Master, which was far more lucrative, as well as potentially more technically challenging. Later the office of Master was subsumed by that of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer

The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet of the United Kingdom Minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters....
; the evolution of that of Warden is less clear. It is also unclear whether Newton was allowed to hold both offices at the same time.

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See also


Münzwardein
Münzwardein

In medieval and Renaissance Germany, the M?nzwardein was the title of an official whose duties included supervising the M?nzmeister and the stock of precious metals used in mint ....