Loving the Unloved: Worn Elizabethan Sixpence Pendant

Elizabethan sixpence, holed and smoothed.
This pendant likely repelled witches & demons.

Is it jewelry? Or is it protection?

This piece was once loved. Now unloved: no one wanted it when it was offered for sale.

But at one time ...

... it was worn for a lifetime. It was revered. It was apotropaic.

Sometimes the most fascinating coins are the most used up. Many holed silver pieces have been dug in the fields of England. It was a popular practice to wear crossed pieces to ward off evil. Just like crossing one's self before stepping out, a crossed piece was suspended close to the heart.

Nowadays we worry about sugar, fat, and caffeine. But back then, it was evil. The devil was everywhere and witches were so numerous that they threatened every community. Even nightfall was considered a portent of hell -- full of villains. No one was safe.

In a recent trip to Massachusetts, I observed old shoes and poppets that were found in the wall of seventeenth century houses. And horseshoes? They have been found far from the barnyard in hearths and under thresholds. Sentries, all.

But coins were carried and worn. Back in England, the PAS database has revealed that one out of twenty-five pieces were holed in the Elizabethan era. We have already seen that bent coins were also used to repel evil. Some coins were bent and holed.

The hole on this sixpence has nearly given way, and the piece is but a sliver. Old Church magic never disappeared despite the press of the reformation.

The poppet shown is from Massachusetts. It was found within the walls of an old house. It protected against evil.

So next time you see a holed and worn (or bent) Elizabethan coin, think twice. It could have been used as an amulet. It was loved.