GREAT BRITAIN. Gold "Touch Piece" Medal, ND (1685-88). James II. PCGS Genuine--Holed, EF Details. MI-611/19. Weight: 1.95 gms. Obverse: Archangel Michael standing right, spearing the dragon to lower right; Reverse: Ship under sail left. Holed as noted for wearing, though this can hardly be considered damage, as these examples almost always exhibit such a modification. Mostly golden-olive throughout, with some deeper burnished hues around the devices.<p><em>Pieces such as this served as form of talisman which could be touched by the sovereign and then presented to the infirm, many times those suffering from scrofula. This act would serve to reinforce the idea of divine right, in that it was God, through the sovereign, who was healing the sick, with the sovereign as the conduit. As such, the holes applies to these touch pieces is obvious, in that they became an object kept by the bearer at all times.</em>
