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1/2 Groat - Edward VI 1st period, Southwark mint
| Issuer | English Royal Mint (Southwark) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1547-1549 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Sp#2458, North#1900 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Edward VI's first coinage period inherited the systematic debasement his father had accelerated from 1544 onward — a fiscal measure to fund wars with France and Scotland that gutted the silver content of English currency to levels not seen since medieval emergency issues. The Southwark mint, opened by Henry VIII in 1543 specifically to increase debasement output, continued striking under the new reign with the same degraded alloy.
Contemporary merchants and foreign traders quickly learned to discount English coin by touch and color alone. The copper content bleeds through on circulated survivors.