James II. 1685-1688. Gold Medal n. d. (1685), 21.63 g. Coronation of Mary of Modena. By J. Roettier. Bust laureate and draped. MARIA . D . G . ANG . SCO . FR . ET . REGINA. Rv. The Queen seated upon a mound. O . DEA . CERTE. Plain edge. 34.2 mm. Eimer 274. MI i 606/7. van Loon III 303,2. Saunders/Vanhoudt 1685-6. Selten / Rare. Sehr schön / Very Fine.

Purchased from Schweizerischer Bankverein, Basel, January 1989.

The coronation of James II and VII, and his wife Mary of Modena, as King and Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland was held on 23 April 1685 at Westminster Abbey. James and Mary were the last British monarchs to be Catholics, despite the Protestant Church of England being the established church. Accordingly, the service was reordered to omit the Anglican Communion Service, the only time that a British coronation has been conducted without one.

The truncated text of the coronation liturgy, which was prepared for the service, provided the model for future coronations into the 20th century. James was also the first monarch since the Union of the Crowns not to have a coronation in Scotland, and the first English monarch since the 14th century not to plan a royal entry procession through London. These and other innovations set long-standing precedents for future British coronations.

This was the medal officially distributed amongst the spectators at the coronation.