§ 37. Brigadier-General MAKINSasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he has arranged to set aside any special Jubilee £50 gold pieces for the national collections at the British and other museums?
§ Mr. COOPERBesides the 25 gold pattern pieces offered to collectors, five similar pieces were struck by the Royal Mint, of which one was presented to His Majesty The King; one was reserved for the Mint Museum; and one each was offered to the British Museum, the Bank of England and the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths for their collections, on payment of the bullion value of the gold.
§ Mr. GODFREY NICHOLSONCan my hon. Friend say why so very few were issued; was there some good reason?
§ Mr. COOPERIt was that they were issued for the purposes of collectors, and whatever figure was arrived at it must necessarily have been an arbitrary figure. If it were a larger one, some people might have said that it was too many; and, if it had been a smaller one, some people might have said it was too small.
§ Mr. CHARLES WILLIAMSWill my hon. Friend consider issuing some of these gold pieces for the payment of Members of Parliament on the occasion of the next instalment of their salaries?