File:Post Medieval medal; touchpiece of Queen Anne (FindID 938434).jpg

The touch-piece is pierced at 12 o'clock of the obverse. Obverse: Ship going left. Obverse Legend: ANNA.D.G.M.BR.FET.H.REG. Reverse: George and dragon. Reverse Legend: SOLI.DEO.GLORIA.

Measurements: 21 mm in diameter, and 2.84g in weight.

Discussion:Touchpiece used in the ceremony of 'Touching for the King's Evil', a disease of the lymph glands, also known as scrofula, which was popularly believed to be cured if the monarch touched the sufferer. The custom began in France under the crusader-king, St Louis IX (1226-70). When Edward III of England (1327-77) laid claim to the throne of France as the surviving grandson of Philip IV, through his mother Isabella, he also began touching for the King's Evil. Each sufferer was given a token or touchpiece, pierced so that it could be worn on a ribbon round the neck. From the reign of Edward IV this was usually an angel, a gold coin worth 6s 8d, depicting St Michael slaying the dragon on one side, and a ship under sail on the other. The angel continued as a currency issue until the reign of Charles I, but was not revived after the Restoration. However, gold tokens, still depicting St Michael and the ship, were produced specifically for those touched by Charles II and James II. William and Mary declined to perform the ceremony, but Queen Anne revived it. One of her last 'touchings' was of Samuel Johnson, born in 1709, who in later years remembered the Queen as 'a lady in diamonds, and a long black hood.' Although the Hanoverian kings did not continue the custom, the Jacobite Stuarts did, but their touchpieces were silver.

The gold used to make these medals was 22 carat fineness.

As a gold medal with no monetary function, a touch-piece would fall within the purview of the Treasure Act and at least one has passed through the system in this way already; eg. YORYM-B32610 (2015 T176), and KENT-05E6BE 2016 T605.

An identical touch-piece can be seen on the Royal Collection Trust website, number RCIN 443192

Conclusion: It is therefore thought that this medal dates to before 1716. As the object is made of gold and is over 300 years old, it constitutes potential Treasure under the stipulations of The Treasure Act 1996.