What does the term "essay" mean in relation to minting coins?

Longacre

I saw the word "essay" being used in the context of minting coins. Does anyone know what an "essay" is (note that the word was clearly essay, and not assay)? Thanks!

kieferscoins

It might have been a spelling error in the book. Assay deals with coin minting but not essay.

Cameron Kiefer

nwcs

Well, an essai is any coin struck from pattern dies to test the design concept.

Longacre

NWCS wins! It is the minting of a coin intended to try out a new die, device, or mechanism (includes a pattern). I guess there are different ways to spell it. Good job.

nwcs

Oh, I actually thought you were asking instead of a quiz!

nolimitz

Pronunciation: 'e-"sA; senses 1, 2 and 4 also e-'sA
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French essai, ultimately from Late Latin exagium act of weighing, from ex- + agere to drive -- more at AGENT
1 : TRIAL, TEST
2 a : EFFORT, ATTEMPT; especially : an initial tentative effort b : the result or product of an attempt
4 : a proof of an unaccepted design for a stamp or piece of paper money

Conder101

An essay is a paper written about a subject.
An essai is a pattern coin.
An assy is a destructive determination of composition.