United Kingdom. New Gold and Silver Proof Coins Features Historic Angel Design

Believed to offer protection and good fortune during the middle ages, the new 2026-dated gold and silver coins introduce a fresh interpretation of these numismatic treasures. One of the most fascinating coins, the name derives from the design on the obverse of the coin depicting the Archangel Michael battling Satan, who is presented in the form of a dragon.

First issued in the 1465 during the reign of King Edward IV as a smaller replacement for the noble, it went on to become associated as healing piece along with ‘touching ceremonies’. During these rituals, it was believed that the reigning monarch could pass on some of their God-given power through the coin and therefore cure sufferers of scrofula, a bacterial infection of the lymph nodes also known as the ‘king’s evil’. The angel would be touched and often pierced then hung around the person’s neck with white ribbon to continue protecting the person wearing it. As well as having this spiritual connection, the coin was also used in commerce with a value ranging from 6 shillings and 8 pence, eventually to 11 shillings to ensure the coin was worth more than its intrinsic value in England. Among the first coins to be minted in the tower of the Royal Mint for King Henry VIII was the gold angel, weighing 5.12 grams with a fineness of 95.8% and with a diameter of 29 millimetres.

Queen Elizabeth I’s gold angels differed little from those of her father, her name positioned to the right of the Archangel’s depiction and were minted between 1578 and 1581. At Kenilworth in 1575, it was recorded that Queen Elizabeth I publicly prepared for the healing ritual associated with the Angel coins ‘prostrate on her knees, body and soul rapt in prayer’. She was known to lay hands on her subjects, and in addition she made the sign of the cross, with the gold angel in her hand, over the actual location of the sore or affliction of her subject.

Interestingly, the inscription on the reverse side of her Angel coins read in Latin DNO FACTUM EST ISTUD ET EST MIRABILE. This legend translated as ‘This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvellous’ – perhaps a direct allusion to the ritual of healing itself or possibly attributed to be the very words spoken by the then-princess Elizabeth upon learning of the death of her older sister Queen Mary I – which made her Queen of England.

Over time, production of the angel eventually ended in the mid seventeenth century with the last English circulating gold angel minted in 1642 during the reign of Charles I. However, with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, angels were minted again, but primarily as touch-pieces for the royal touch ceremony. The last English monarch to perform the ceremony was Queen Anne in 1712, which was her final recorded ceremony, though she performed it sporadically until shortly before her death in 1714. After which the practice was abandoned by the Hanoverian successors believing it as superstition.

The reverse side of the coin features a modern interpretation of the angel’s classic St Michael design by Sandra Deiana. The winged Archangel Saint Michael is depicted with a lance, triumphing over a dragon, representing good conquering over evil. The inscription around the primary design reads PER CRUCEM TUAM + SALVA NOS CHRISTE REDEMPTOR which translates as ‘By thy Cross save us O Christ, our Redeemer’. The obverse of each coin option features the definitive effigy of HM King Charles III designed by Martin Jennings. The denomination 2 POUNDS to 500 POUNDS and year of issue 2026 also appears on the obverse as part of the legend surrounding the King’s likeness. 

Available from the 8^th December, the BU Cupro-nickel crown coins are housed in a blister-pak type folder with informative text and illustrations. The silver proof coins are encapsulated and presented in black leatherette matte cases accompanied with numbered certificates of authenticity. The gold proof coins are encapsulated and presented in polished gloss wood cases accompanied with a certificate of authenticity. For additional information, please visit the e-webshop of the Royal Mint.