I'm reading an entry from that rogue Samuel Pepys' diary tonight (dated 13 April 1661): http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1661/04/13/ "I went to the Banquethouse, and there saw the King [Charles II] heal, the first time that ever I saw him do it; which he did with great gravity, and it seemed to me to be an ugly office and a simple one." Sovereigns at that time were thought to have the God-given ability to "cure" scrofula (swelling of the cervical lymph nodes of the neck caused by infection, frequently tuberculosis) by their mere touch (known as the royal touch). They would frequently give a coin known as a "touch piece" to the sufferer (either to continue the supernatural healing of the royal touch or to even avoid touching the diseased individual completely). Scrofula was thus known as the "King's Evil." Queen Anne was the last British sovereign to actually perform this ritual. She gave the famous English writer Samuel Johnson such a medal when he was two and he wore it on him all his life. "Queen Anne, amongst many others, touched the 2-year-old infant Dr. Samuel Johnson in 1712 to no effect, for although he eventually recovered, he was left badly scarred and blind in one eye. He wore the medal around his neck all of his life and it is now preserved in the British Museum. It was believed that if the touch piece was not worn then the condition would return. Queen Anne last performed the ceremony on 14 April 1714. George I put an end to the practice as being "too Catholic", but the kings of France continued the custom until 1825. William of Malmesbury describes the ceremony in his Chronicle of the Kings of England (1120) and Shakespeare describes the practice in Macbeth." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch_pieces Coins are always more interesting when one remembers that there may be some history behind them. guy
This is the kind of stuff that makes coin collecting so interesting. Thanks for posting the information.
It wasn't just in England, but also in Scotland and some of the exile ports: This is a touchpiece of James VIII(1688-1766) the old pretender. Apparently he was still giving these out in the 18th century to supporters from Britain. This is a silver piece, a very fortunate "junk box" find when I was a teenager.
Beautiful, beautiful coin. Great piece of history, your coin is. It appears similar to the coin above in my post. The coin I posted is in the Britsh museum and was found on Samuel Johnson when he died, presumably the coin Queen Anne gave him as an infant. That said, what would make one believe your coin is from the Old Pretender and not from Queen Anne, instead? Thanks again for posting. guy
i wasn't aware of the term "scofula", how interesting. we're doing the lymphatic system in anatomy classs so i added that to the pictures i currently use to show the students. thanks bart!
The legend is clearer on the touch piece than it is in the old scan, IAC III(of England)D G M B et H R "Dei Gratia Majest Britannia et Hibernia Rex" - James III by the grace of God, king of Britain and Ireland. The legend on the reverse SOLI DEO GLORIA - Glory only to God.
Nice coin. It's a great (and more than adequate) scan. Unfortunately, both my monitor and my eyes are old. Thank you for sharing. guy
