Beschreibung

James II. 1685-1688. Gold Medal n. d. (c. 1685), 2.09 g. Touch piece. Unsigned. Ship in full sail. IACO . II . D . G . M . B . FR ET . HI . REX. Rv. St. Michael and the Dragon. SOLI . DEO GLORIA. Plain edge. 18.2 mm. Eimer -. MI i 611/19. Sehr schön / Very Fine. Feine Goldpatina / Nice gold toning.

Purchased from Baldwin & Sons, London, April 2006, lot D57.

Touchpieces were traditionally used as a talisman which could be touched by the monarch and then presented to the sickly and infirm to be worn about the neck.

They were presented in a medieval ceremony to cure them of "Scrofula" or "King's evil" and served as a test of royal legitimacy. The monarch, as God's vice-regent on earth, healed the sick on his behalf. Therefore, the majority of touchpieces were holed and worn by the bearer to protect them. The touchpiece had a purely ceremonial purpose, replacing the previously popular gold angel in this ceremony, the royal ship was added to the design to represent the monarch. The practice lasted until the 18th century, when Queen Anne was the last monarch to take part.