Purchased nice set of four of 1-2-3-and 4 penny Maundy coins today - 1903 Edward VII
Dealer said these were all handed out to the poor and deserving by the king. I have always thought it was the job of the Royal children to hand out.
The other thing is he was saying that this set never got used (circulated) but I have seen the 3d in very worn state prob f-vf this set I believe about XF+ with a nice level of toning.
Historically, Maundy coins were handed-out to the poor and then later to those "chosen because of their service to the church and the community." The monarch, not his/her children, distributed the coins.
As for condition, it is quite common to find 3 pence and 4 pence coins from the 19th century in circulated condition, because they very closely matched coins in circulation at the time. Thus, they could easily be spent. The same is true for the 3 pence coins from the early 20th century.
There is a very good article in the April 5, 2010 edition of Coin World on this subject.
