Auction Catalogue

8 September 2000

Starting at 10:30 AM

.

Ancient, British and World Coins. Tokens, Tickets and Passes. Historical and Art Medals. British and World Paper Money.

The Regus Conference Centre  12 St James Square  London  SW1Y 4RB

Download Images

Lot

№ 124

.

8 September 2000

Hammer Price:
£5,800

Charles I (1625-1649), Angel, by Nicholas Briot, St. Michael slaying a dragon, reverse mm. B at 9 o’clock, a three masted ship, with Royal arms on mainsail and lis and lions above gunports, sailing to left (N 2665; S 2718), 4.16gm, die-axis 12h. Pierced for use as a touchpiece, slightly crimped and with minor spademarks, otherwise extremely fine and extremely rare (£8,000-12,000)

Only four other examples, all from the same dies, are known:
1. British Museum,
unpierced
2. Hunterian Museum,
with a small piercing
3. Schneider Collection (ex Bridgewater House, lot 109 and Brooker, SCBI 33, 1247),
unpierced
4. Unknown private collection,
pierced as a touchpiece; a poor coin, scratched and gilt

Once considered a pattern or to have been part of Briot’s first milled coinage of 1631-32, it has for some time been thought that this issue was specially struck in Edinburgh for use at a touching ceremony held on the 24th June 1633, six days after the King’s coronation. The presence of the Scottish arms in the second quarter, as opposed to the first and fourth, is not deemed evidence to the contrary. The angel was an English coin used by the Kings and Queens of England when touching to heal scrofula, otherwise known as ‘The King’s Evil’. Scottish monarchs did not touch until James VI became James I of England, and it was only in this latter capacity that he touched. Charles I was the first sovereign to touch in Scotland.
For further information see:
Herbert Scheider, ‘The Tower Gold of Charles I’,
BNJ XXX, pp. 316-318
Ian Stewart (now Lord Stewartby), ‘Some Scottish Ceremonial Coins’,
P.S.A.S. XCVIII, pp 270-275
Noel Woolf, ‘The Sovereign Remedy: Touch-pieces and the King’s Evil’,
BNJ XLIX, p 103
See Colour Plate I