Henry VIII debased nearly every denomination during his later coinages, but the Angel was deliberately held to its traditional fineness — .958 gold — because it functioned as a touchpiece in the Royal Healing ceremony, where the king would touch scrofula sufferers and press a coin into their hands. Issuing a debased Angel would have undermined the ritual's sacred premise.
The 3rd coinage runs only from 1544 to Henry's death in January 1547, a narrow window that limits surviving numbers sharply.
Henry VIII debased nearly every denomination during his later coinages, but the Angel was deliberately held to its traditional fineness — .958 gold — because it functioned as a touchpiece in the Royal Healing ceremony, where the king would touch scrofula sufferers and press a coin into their hands. Issuing a debased Angel would have undermined the ritual's sacred premise.
The 3rd coinage runs only from 1544 to Henry's death in January 1547, a narrow window that limits surviving numbers sharply.