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2276 Great Britain. Angel, ND. S.2265; Fr-158. Henry VIII, 1509-
1547. First coinage, mint mark Portcullis crowned. Pierced for
use as a touchpiece. Obverse, St Michael slaying dragon.
Reverse, ship with coat of arms. Obverse appears to be struck
from rusty dies, but surprisingly high grade. NGC graded
Uncirculated, Details (Holed, Cleaned).
* Persons of royal blood were thought to have a ' God given'
power of healing various illnesses by touch, and the gold Angel
coins which were first struck in Britain in 1465 are found offi-
cially pierced, to be used as touch pieces by the monarch.
The Angel was a coin favoured at the ' Touching' ceremonies
because it has an image of St Michael slaying the Devil (repre-
sented as a dragon). St Michael was especially venerated for his
role as a captain of the heavenly host that drove Satan out of
Heaven, but he was associated with the (broader) practice of
casting out of devils, and was also regarded as a guardian of
the sick.
Henry VII codified past practices into a ' Divine Service' thereby
creating a Touching Ceremony which lasted, barely changed, for
160 years. To replace the alms which were previously given to
the sick there was now a gold coin or healing-piece. To an
extent the pierced Angel coin assumed magical powers. His suc-
cessor, Henry VIII was regarded as the author of the debase-
ment of England' s gold and silver coinage, but it is interesting
to note that although Henry debased the coinage by reducing
its weight, he kept the weight of the Angel consistent.
Estimated Value ..............................................$1,500 - 1,700
HENRY VIII HALF SOVEREIGN
2277 Great Britain. Half Sovereign, ND. S.2297; Fr-167.
Henry VIII, 1509-1547. Third coinage (1544-1547). South-
wark. Obverse, king facing, seated on throne holding orb
and sceptre. Reverse, crowned shield of Tudor arms.
Weakly struck in parts (as usual) but with a stunning por-
trait of the king and practically as made. NGC graded AU-
50.
Estimated Value ........................................ $6,000 - 7,000
ELIZABETH I, A NGEL
2278 Great Britain. Angel, ND. S.2525; Fr-211. Elizabeth I,
1558-1603. Fifth issue. Mint mark, Latin Cross over Greek
Cross. Obverse, St Michael standing, slaying the dragon: +
ELIZABETH: D: G: ANG: FR: ET: HI: REGINA. Reverse, ship
bearing shield of arms and cross. E and rose at sides:
ADNO FACTUM EST ISTUD ET EST MIRABI (a shortened
version of the Latin legend meaning ' This is the Lord' s
doing and it is marvellous in our eyes,' Psalm 118.23). Mint
state. Nicely struck up, and well centred on a good large
planchet, this coin glistens with original luster. Unusually
detailed portrait of St Michael.Rarely seen so fine. NGC
graded Uncirculated, Details (Obverse Scratched).
*This coin was struck in the period 1580-1581 when the
Queen began to feel threatened by the forces of Catholi-
cism. Consequently, from the early 1580s, the previously
lax enforcement of anti-Catholic laws became stricter and
people were persecuted and executed for their faith.
Some of the priests who had been smuggled into England
and caught, rightly claimed that their mission was solely to
minister to fellow Catholic souls and went to their deaths
proclaiming their loyalty to God and the Queen. But many
priests were in fact plotting against her and Elizabeth also
rightly claimed that for her the question was not about reli-
gion but the stability of the kingdom. To put things in per-
spective, in the 45 years of her reign three hundred
Catholic martyrs died for their faith, but her sister ('
Bloody') Mary had killed the same number of Protestant
martyrs in a six year reign!
A few years later in 1587 the woman who was the constant
focus of plots against Elizabeth, Mary Queen of Scots, was
executed, and in 1588 Philip of Spain launched his ill-fated
Armada against England. The Armada failed, and a certain
stability returned to England.
Estimated Value ........................................ $6,000 - 7,000