Henry VIII’s coinage (1509–1547) underwent significant debasement and reform, beginning with the Second Coinage (1526–1544) that introduced lower silver content and new denominations like the gold crown and half-crown. His Great Debasement (1544–1551) further reduced silver purity in coins such as groats and pennies, replacing precious metals with cheaper copper to fund wars and expenditures. Key issues include portcullis-marked farthings (early Second Coinage) and testoons (shilling precursors), while gold angels retained higher purity. Coins often bore royal symbols like roses and shields, reflecting Tudor authority, but their degraded quality earned Henry the nickname “Old Coppernose” as silver wore off exposed copper.
