1 Penny - Henry VIII 1st coinage, Durham mint

Henry VIII's first coinage continued the portrait and weight standards inherited directly from his father, a deliberate political signal of dynastic continuity in the early years of a reign that had not yet revealed its reforming ambitions. The Durham mint operated under the authority of the Prince-Bishop of Durham, whose ecclesiastical mint rights dated back centuries — one of the last surviving examples of a regional church authority retaining the legal power to strike royal coin.

Bishop Thomas Ruthall held the see during most of this coinage period. His initials appear as the mint mark differentiating Durham's output from London's.