A SEVENTEENTH century gold medallion which wearers believed had healing powers has been declared as treasure.

The gold 'touch piece', which dates to the reign of James II (1685-1688), was found on Askham Bryan College land at Copmanthorpe.

At an inquest at New Earswick Folk Hall, York’s senior acting coroner Jonathan Leach classified the coin as treasure.

Mr Leach said Piotr Nagorski found the object in December 2014, but the coroner had not been given a value for it.

When a find is declared to be treasure, its value is split between the finder and the landowner.

The medallion, which was minted in London, has been logged on the Portable Antiquities Scheme website www.finds.org.uk.

It has a St Michael and the dragon design and is inscribed with 'SOLI DEO GLORIA' - Latin for glory to God alone.

The website states: "Such pieces formed part of the ceremony of 'Touching for the King's Evil' a ritual during which English monarchs exercised their thaumaturgic (miracle-working) gift of healing the disease scrofula (probably a form of tuberculosis).

"The afflicted received a memento in the form of a 'touch-piece', suspended on a white ribbon.

"The early Stuart monarchs (James I, Charles I) used gold coins (angels), pierced to take a ribbon.

"After the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, special non-monetary gold pieces were made for the ceremony."