This coin earned its name from the design that appeared on the obverse. The Archangel Michael can be seen trampling a dragon, which represented Satan, with a spear angled towards the dragon’s mouth.

The coin also featured the inscription ‘PER CRUCEM TUAM SALVA NOS CHRISTE REDEMPTOR’, which translates as ‘By thy Cross, save us, O Christ, our Redeemer’. It is perhaps because of this religious iconography that the Angel was used in royal touching ceremonies.