Maundy Money are coins traditionally given out by the
Monarch as a gift to the poor at Royal Maundy. The ceremony, which is
associated with Christianity, is held on Maundy Thursday which is the day
before Good Friday. The Maundy set consists of four coins, denominated one
penny, two pence, three pence and four pence. The number of sets given out to
each man and woman is equivalent to the age of the Monarch in years.
History
Royal Maundy probably dates back to the 13th Century. Maundy
derives from mandatum which Jesus said meaning 'that ye love one another'. It
was the act of washing the feet of the poor and giving food and clothing to the
poor. The Royal Families of the middle ages copied the ceremony as a way of
showing humility.
By 1699 the Monarch opted to send a representative rather
than attend themselves, and not long after the act of washing feet was
abandoned. By the 19th century the Royals thought that giving money was more
convenient than food and clothes and originally gave coins of the day but later
gave specially made silver coins.
It was not until 1931 that King George V restarted the
tradition that the Monarch attended in person. Queen Elizabeth almost always
attends and has only missed a few ceremonies. The ceremony was traditionally in
or near London (mainly Westminster Abbey) but in recent years has moved around
the country at various Cathedrals such as Leicester, Sheffield, Manchester,
York Minster and Armagh.
The coins used to be given to the poor but these days are
given to people nominated for their work done in the local Church. So on (say)
the Queen's 90th birthday, she would give 90 sets to selected men and 90 sets
to selected women. The coins would be issued in a leather purse; a white one
contains the Maundy coins, and a red purse containing current coinage as an
additional gift.
The Maundy Coins
The four coins are specially made: one penny, two pence,
three pence and four pence. They are not the same coins as in circulation and
are quite small (between 11.1 mm and 17.6 mm).
Since decimalisation these have been upgraded by law from
penny to new penny. They are made from Stirling silver (92.5% silver) and
although specifically made for this ceremony they are still legal tender. The
design is virtually unchanged from 1822.
The reverse, which is a crowned numeral within an oak
wreath, was created by Jean Baptiste Merlen back in 1822 and has only been
altered slightly since then.
The obverse shows the head of the monarch as you would
expect. However, if you look at the Queen Elizabeth obverse you can see that
the portrait is the original portrait used from when she first issued coins;
although the Queen has had about five portraits the original (by Mary Gillick)
is still used.
Even back in Victorian days the recipients of Maundy money
soon sold their sets for a premium, especially around the time of the Jubilee
when Americans prized the souvenir. The purses could also fetch a handsome
amount.
Besides the sets given out by the Monarch, many other sets
are minted for official gifts and for collectors. These are issued in a case
rather than a purse. Many were given to Mint workers or other officials. Maundy
sets could be ordered from the bank until 1908, when 9,929 were minted in that
year. Dealers scrambled for sets and sold them at high profit. This eventually
got a little out of hand and the Mint cut back production heavily. In recent
years the mintage numbers have been around 1600-1900 sets.
Les Kendall is a professional software developer but writes
about coin collecting at coinparade.co.uk.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9958346
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