Maundy coins were never intended for circulation — distributed annually by the monarch to selected elderly recipients at a Royal Maundy ceremony, they functioned as ceremonial gifts rather than currency. Edward VII personally carried out the distribution, a royal duty his predecessor Victoria had largely delegated to others after 1890. The sets were given in a quantity matching the sovereign's age, meaning the 1910 distribution — the last of Edward's reign — comprised 69 sets.
The exceptionally low wear seen on surviving examples reflects their purpose entirely. Most recipients kept them.
Maundy coins were never intended for circulation — distributed annually by the monarch to selected elderly recipients at a Royal Maundy ceremony, they functioned as ceremonial gifts rather than currency. Edward VII personally carried out the distribution, a royal duty his predecessor Victoria had largely delegated to others after 1890. The sets were given in a quantity matching the sovereign's age, meaning the 1910 distribution — the last of Edward's reign — comprised 69 sets.
The exceptionally low wear seen on surviving examples reflects their purpose entirely. Most recipients kept them.