Start with the assay slips, stamped weights and the merchants’ challenge book. It is the source used to make a decision about whether the market should replace one shared standard or allow each guild to keep a certified weight; it is not the decision itself. The rule only works if the source describes the conditions at the assay table in the Lower Market Hall.
The latest count is 18 bars checked against the common weight; the prior file listed 16. The first implementation notes have been compared with the promise in the minutes. The difference is a signal to check, not a verdict about who is right.
The disputed point is practical: Guilds say one standard hides differences in bar shape; buyers say multiple standards make a fair comparison harder. One side relies on the posted total, while the other points to a shallow notch on the old standard weight where a maker’s mark has worn smooth.
The risk of reading the file too broadly is that an entry becomes a conclusion. Nima Thol checked the assay slips, stamped weights and the merchants’ challenge book against the field notes. The method is to put the posted price beside the amount that actually changed hands; it confirms the entries, but not every interpretation attached to them.
Next: The assay table will test both systems against the same set of bars. A useful update will publish the method, exceptions and review date with the number.
