The numismatic chronicle and journal of the Royal ... - IndianCoins.org

THE QUARTEK-ANGEL OF JAMES I. 219his or her titles; but that on the reverse underwentconsiderable variation.These we need not notice except tomention that Mary adopted for her angels and half-angelsthe legend, "A domino factum est istud et est mirabile,"more or less abbreviated.Elizabeth followed her sister'sexample, but on her quarter-angel completed her titles" Et Hibernie Kegina Fidei." On the present coin thisstereotyped design is abandoned, and we have in itsplace a plain royal shield and the legend " Tueatur unitaDeus." This design and legend are mere adaptationsfrom other coins. The shield is the same as that whichoccurs on the twopence of James I of his first coinagebearing the mint-marks, a thistle or a lis ;and the legendis taken from the quarter-sovereign, which is of the samedate and issues. As compared with that of the obversethe workmanship of the reverse is very inferior, almostrude, and it gives one the impressionthat the die washurriedly made and for a particular purpose or occasion.To account for this it has been suggested that perhapsthe angel and its parts were struck either on the occasionof the King's coronation or on that of his visit with theQueen to the Mint on March 13, 1604 ;but the presenceof the mint- mark, a " flower de luce," together with theabsence of any specimens from the trial of the Pyxon May 22, 1604, renders this suggestion absolutelyimpossible.From the evidence of this quarter-angel and also fromthat of contemporary documents, it be taken as amaycertainty that some time during 1604 the angeland thehalf-angel were also struck ;but their non-existence, sofar as we are at present aware, and the great rarity of thequarter-angel, would suggest that the coinage was a verylimited one. On this point also we are not without some