- Broad (British coin)
The Broad was a British
coin worth 20 shillings (20/-) issued by theCommonwealth of England in 1656. It was a milledgold coin weighing 9.0–9.1gram s, with adiameter of 29 or 30millimetre s, designed byThomas Simon (also called Symonds).The
obverse of the coin depicts the Lord ProtectorOliver Cromwell as a laureatedRoman emperor , 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, etc.", -- while the reverse shows a crowned shield depicting the arms of the Commonwealth with the inscription PAX QVAERITVR BELLO 1656 -- "Peace is sought through war".The current value of the coin in "very fine" to "extremely fine" condition is £3500 to £6000 as the pieces are very rare, but normally fairly unworn, although a Mr Pinkerton writing at the time that the coins circulated noted that many of the coins in circulation were so worn as to be almost flat.
A
piedfort version of the coin with an edge inscription is known as a Fifty shilling piece. This is extremely rare, and there are very few examples as it is probably a pattern.External links
* [http://www.coinsgb.com British Coins] - Free information about British coins. Includes an online forum.
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