The first copper weight notice began with the assay slips, stamped weights and the merchants’ challenge book. Since then, the city has moved through a source check, a public hearing and a trial at the assay table in the Lower Market Hall.
The current docket records 55 bars checked against the common weight; the earlier file recorded 53. The count is more specific than the first summary, but still does not answer whether the market should replace one shared standard or allow each guild to keep a certified weight.
A key point in the timeline was the discovery of a shallow notch on the old standard weight where a maker’s mark has worn smooth. It narrowed the dispute from a general claim about the rule to a question about how the rule behaves at the site.
Guilds say one standard hides differences in bar shape; buyers say multiple standards make a fair comparison harder. The current record does not settle that disagreement. The parties now share more of the record than they did at the start, though they assign it different weight.
The docket has returned for review with the exceptions and unresolved objections attached. The entry belongs to the service audit file at the assay table in the Lower Market Hall. The assay table will test both systems against the same set of bars. The next review will show whether the change lasts beyond this docket or returns as another temporary exception.
