Items Ordered:, Cart Value:
Silver Sixpence Co
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A brief history of the sixpence
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Terminology of coin collecting
Some of the words you may come across when discussing your sixpence with someone who knows about coins . . .
Beading
- The small dots sometimes found around the rim of the coin
Clipping
- The unofficial removal of a part of the coin whilst passing the coin on for its original value.
Cupro-nickel
- An alloy of copper (75%) and nickel (25%)
Escutcheon
- Shield bearing a coat of arms
Field
- The part of the coin where there are no portraits or devices
Flan
- The piece of metal upon which the design of the coin will be struck
Hammered
- The striking of a coin by placing a flan between two dies and then hammering the dies together
Hearts
- Some George III sixpences have hearts in one section of the reverse shield ie "with hearts"
Milled
- The coin was made by a machine rather than by hand.
Milling
- The lines or grooves around the edge of a coin.
Obverse
- The side of the coin that bears the monarch's portrait.
Pitting
- Small holes in the surface of the coin caused by oxidation.
Sixpence
- Half a shilling
Finally
- Pounds, shillings and pence abbreviated to £sd . . . . but why 'd' for pence? The 'd' is for denarius or penny from Roman times. Thus six pence was written as 6d. There were 12 pence in the shilling and 20 shillings to the pound so a pound was equal to 240 pence.
