Coins of England and Great Britain

by Tony Clayton

26 - Fifty and Sixty Shillings

Two Pounds/Guineas <<-- : -->> Five Pounds/Guineas

Values of Fifty & Sixty Shilling Coins
Pictures of Fifty & Sixty Shilling Coins on www.ukcoinpics.co.uk

Fifty Shillings

A gold 50 shilling piece was issued by Oliver Cromwell in 1656. The obverse shows Oliver Cromwell facing left, with the inscription OLIVAR D G R P ANG SCO HIB &c PRO (Oliver, by the Grace of God Protector of the Republic of England, Scotland, Ireland &c.). On the reverse is a crowned shield with the date above and the legend PAX QVAERITVR BELLO (Peace through War) around. The edge has PROTECTOR LITERIS LITERAE NVMMIS CORONA ET SALVS in relief.

Coincraft's catalogue states that only eleven pieces are thought to exist. It is exactly the same diameter and design as the Broad of 20 shillings, but weighs 2.5 times as much. It may have been what we now call a piedfort proof.

Spink records that an EF specimen sold for £15,250 in May 1989.

Sixty Shillings

Treble Sovereign

A unique treble sovereign of Henry VII is known where the sovereign dies were used but the flan is three times the normal thickness. It is probable that it was specially minted as a presentation piece.

Double Sovereign

Similarly a unique double thickness Fine Sovereign of Edward VI is known. As the Fine Sovereign was valued at 30 shillings, this 'peidfort' coin, presentation piece or pattern would have been 'valued' at 60 shillings.

Triple Unite

Between 1642 and 1644, during the Civil War, Charles I issued Triple Unites worth sixty shillings from both the Shrewsbury and Oxford Mints. An Oxford Triple Unite of 1644 has recently been advertised for just under £15,000. Those from Shrewsbury are extremely rare, and can be distinguished by the fact that the reverse inscription RELIG PROT LEG ANG LIBER PAR is in two lines, rather than three used at Oxford.

Acknowledgements

See my Main Coins Index page for acknowledgements

Help and Advice

I would be grateful if you could search the site carefully before mailing me - the answers to the great majority of the questions that I am asked can be found on this site, and I am unlikely to reply quickly to such questions. In particular, I do NOT provide a valuation service.

If you have done this and still wish to ask for advice, feel free to mail me via my Advice page but please do not send me unsolicited scans or other binary files.

Coins of UK - 26 - Fifty and Sixty Shillings / Copyright reserved by the author, Tony Clayton
v15 2nd January 2009