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Matthew Boutlon's penny weighed 28 gms of solid copper. Today's penny (1p) weighs 3.56 gms.Matthew Boultonâ??s development of steam-powered minting machinery convinced him that he could make better finished, better designed coinage more efficiently than anyone in the world. He created his Soho Mint in 1787, sure of receiving a government contract. In the end, he had to wait until 1797 to receive the official licence to supply coinage for the nation. During the next two years he turned 1,250 tons of copper into nearly 44 million pennies. He shipped out thousands of barrels from the Soho factory, packed with coins and loaded onto canal boats for distribution around the country. He received contracts from governments around the world, and the technology he developed created the first truly modern coinage.

This pewter pattern is a trial design, which was never used. It is a good example of the care which Boulton took in developing the clarity of design for which his coinage, nicknamed â??cartwheelâ?? after its heavy rim, was known

Matthew Boutlon's penny weighed 28 gms of solid copper. Today's penny (1p) weighs 3.56 gms.