BRITISH, Tudor. Elizabeth I, 1558-1603. Angel (Gold, 29 mm, 5.10 g, 5 h), sixth issue. Tower (London) mint, no date (1585-1587). (escallop over A) ELIZABETH:D:G:ANG:FR:ET:HI:REGINA• St. Michael standing facing, head to right, spear in hands, slaying the dragon. Rev. (escallop over A) •A:DNO:FACTVM:EST:ISTVD:ET:EST:MIRABI: Ship bearing shield, sailing to right, cross above, E and rose beside cross. Brown & Comber C30. Friedberg 211. North 2005. Schneider 788. Schneider Collection -. SCBC 2531. Rare. Minor traces of mounting and with a small scratch on the reverse, otherwise, very fine.



The Angel, first struck in 1465 under Edward IV (SCBC 1967), was widely used in popular healing practices, especially in connection with the monarch’s ‘royal touch’ for scrofula (the so-called King’s Evil).

During these ceremonies, the sovereign would touch the afflicted and present them with an angel coin, which was then worn around the neck as a protective and curative amulet rather than spent. The surgeon William Clowes explicitly attests to this practice, noting that such coins were believed to carry healing virtue through both royal contact and sacred imagery (cf. W. Clowes: A Profitable and Necessarie Booke of Observations, London 1596, p. 101f.).