Money Wisdom #62

"The royal personage was filled with a magic potency which carried over into all his doings, and every object he came in contact with overflowed with his power.  ....Coins, therefore, originally served as charms possessing magical powers. The use of coins as amulets is very well known, the possessor of the coin believing himself charmed against sickness, poverty, and danger. In the middle Ages this belief was highly prevalent. Holy coins were often distributed at the church festivals in the Middle Ages."

William H Desmonde Magic. Myth and Money (1962) p.125