Post-Medieval — 1653; mid 17th century
Commonwealth sixpence
Silver sixpence of the Commonwealth, with 'sun' mint mark on obverse, of Tower mint, dated 1653. Obverse: Shield of England, with legend 'COMMONWEALTH. OF. ENGLAND'. Reverse: Paired shields of England and Ireland with mark of value,'VI', above, with legend 'GOD. WITH. VS. 1653'. The conjoined shields, looking like a pair of trousers, gave rise to the nickname "Breeches money. The coinage of the Commonwealth, issued from 1647, was the first to be issued with inscriptions in English.
- Category:
- Post-Medieval
- Object ID:
- 80.271/67
- Object name:
- Commonwealth sixpence
- Artist/Maker:
- —
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- 1653; mid 17th century
- Material:
silver
- Measurements/duration:
- DM 25 mm, WT 2.93 g, DM 27 mm, WT 2.93 g (overall)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 100%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.