A ''Lot'' (formerly ''Loth'') was an old unit of measurement for the relative

fineness The fineness of a precious metal object (coin, bar, jewelry, etc.) represents the weight of ''fine metal'' therein, in proportion to the total weight which includes alloying base metals and any impurities. Alloy metals are added to increase hard ...

_ (1896), ''The Journal of Political Economy'', Vol. 4, p. 190. to

gross weight In science and engineering, the weight of an object is a quantity associated with the gravitational force exerted on the object by other objects in its environment, although there is some variation and debate as to the exact definition. Some st ...

metallurgy Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the ...

and especially in coinage until the 19th century. A ''Lot'' was thus a proportion of the

precious metal Precious metals are rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical elements of high Value (economics), economic value. Precious metals, particularly the noble metals, are more corrosion resistant and less reactivity (chemistry), chemically reac ...

content in a piece of metal.Geissler, Ewald and Josef Moeller (1886). ''Real-Encyclopädie der Gesammten Pharmacie'', Volume 9, p. 264. It was used in the four main monetary systems of Germany: Austrian, South German, North German and Hamburg. The ''lot'' was defined as the sixteenth part of a ''

Mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

''.Bringucci, Vannoccio (1990), ''Pirotechnia''. New York: Dover. p. 209. For example, in

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

, the total weight was divided into 16 (proportional) ''Lots'' until about 1857, according to which a "''12-Lot''" silver alloy (750 silver) contained 12/16 = or 75% by weight of silver and 25% of another metal (usually

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

). A ''14-Lot'' silver alloy (), on the other hand, corresponded to 875 silver. For refinement, a ''Lot'' was further divided into 18 grains.Kelly, Patrick (1821), ''The Universal Cambist and Commercial Instructor''. Vol 1. 2nd edn. London. p. 169. Thus 14 ''Lots'', 4

grains A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit ( caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and le ...

fine then correspond to a fineness of 888.89 ‰ = (14 + 4 / 18) / 16 = (252 + 4)/288, i.e. 256/288 grains. The German proportional measure, the ''Lot'', was finally replaced on 1 January 1888 in the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

by the proportional measure,

permille The phrase per mille () indicates parts per thousand. The associated symbol is , similar to a per cent sign but with an extra zero in the divisor. Major dictionaries do not agree on the spelling, giving other options of per mil, per mill, p ...

(thousandths).

References

{{Reflist Metallurgy Coinage metals and alloys

See also

References