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1 Penny - The Commonwealth
| Issuer | The Commonwealth of England |
|---|---|
| Year | 1649-1660 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Penny (1⁄240) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | (uninscribed) |
| Reverse description | Central field features two conjoined shields displayed side by side beneath a decorative mantle or drape: the dexter shield bearing the Cross of St. George for England, and the sinister shield bearing the Irish harp, together representing the arms of the Commonwealth. Above the shields, the Roman numeral 'I' denoting the denomination of one penny is flanked by two pellets, all struck in the open field without surrounding legend. The design is entirely uninscribed save for the value mark, executed in the plain hammered manner typical of Commonwealth small silver coinage struck at the Tower Mint during the Interregnum. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
The Commonwealth penny occupies an awkward position in English coinage history — produced by a republican government that had just executed its king yet struggled to articulate what its coinage should look like without one. The Cross and Shield design was a deliberate break from royal portraiture, reflecting Parliament's ideological need to strip the monarchy from every official instrument of state.
Surviving examples are frequently clipped, a consequence of the coin's negligible silver content making it barely worth producing honestly in the first place.