Legal Definitions - arsura

Arsura is a historical legal term that refers to a process used in the past to test the quality and purity of newly minted coins. It encompasses two related concepts:

• The actual procedure of heating freshly made coins to high temperatures to verify their metallic composition and ensure they met official standards.
• The measurable reduction in weight that occurred during this heating process, which served as an indicator of the coin's quality and the presence of any impurities.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of arsura:

• Medieval Mint Quality Control: Imagine a royal mint in 14th-century England. After a large batch of silver groats was struck, the master of the mint would select a random sample. These chosen coins would then undergo arsura, being subjected to intense heat. The purpose was to burn off any base metals or impurities that might have been fraudulently mixed into the silver alloy, thereby ensuring the coins met the Crown's strict purity standards.

  This example illustrates the first meaning of arsura: "the trial of money by heating it after it is coined," as it describes the actual process of testing the coins' quality through heat.

• Historical Treasury Records: A historical ledger from a 16th-century treasury might contain an entry detailing a shipment of newly minted gold nobles. The record could state that after undergoing arsura, the entire batch collectively experienced a 0.2% loss in weight. This specific weight loss was within the acceptable tolerance set by royal decree, confirming the coins' proper metallic composition and purity before they were released into circulation.

  This example highlights the second meaning of arsura: "the loss in weight from this process," by showing how the measurable outcome of the heating trial was recorded and used to assess coin quality.

• Royal Decree on Coinage Standards: In the early 15th century, a monarch might issue a decree mandating that all new copper pence produced by the kingdom's mints must undergo arsura. The decree would specify that if any batch of coins showed an excessive weight loss during this heating process—indicating a higher proportion of base metals than allowed—they would be deemed substandard and immediately melted down for reminting.

  This example demonstrates both aspects of arsura: the mandated "trial of money by heating it" to ensure standards, and the consequence tied to "the loss in weight from this process," where excessive loss leads to rejection.