1/2 Sovereign - Henry VIII 3rd coinage

Henry VIII's third coinage was a deliberate debasement — the gold fineness dropped from 23 carat to as low as 20 carat as the Crown systematically exploited the mint to fund wars against France and Scotland. The half sovereign denomination bore the brunt of this policy, with fineness fluctuating across the issue's short run.

Spink 2297 places this among the final coins struck before Henry's death in January 1547. Dies from this period are notably inconsistent in execution, a direct consequence of the mint operating under pressure of both political urgency and degraded metal.