Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
With the defeat of Charles I a Council of State was set up, the kingship abolished and England was governed as a Commonwealth. This rare piece was one of a series struck by order of Cromwell, and with the consent of the Council. The dies were made by Thomas Simon and the striking of the coins was entrusted to Peter Blondeau, who made use of the mill and screw press, which he had imported and improved. Public opinion appears to have been against Cromwell using his own portrait on the coinage and these pieces were not put into circulation, though even so they occasionally appear in somewhat worn condition. The laurel wreath and the crown are significant as there was a movement to offer Cromwell the Crown of England.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
144486
label
Broad: Oliver Cromwell Lord Protector (obverse); Crowned Shield of Arms (reverse)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
144486
contentType
object
title
Broad: Oliver Cromwell Lord Protector (obverse); Crowned Shield of Arms (reverse)
description
With the defeat of Charles I a Council of State was set up, the kingship abolished and England was governed as a Commonwealth. This rare piece was one of a series struck by order of Cromwell, and with the consent of the Council. The dies were made by Thomas Simon and the striking of the coins was entrusted to Peter Blondeau, who made use of the mill and screw press, which he had imported and improved. Public opinion appears to have been against Cromwell using his own portrait on the coinage and these pieces were not put into circulation, though even so they occasionally appear in somewhat worn condition. The laurel wreath and the crown are significant as there was a movement to offer Cromwell the Crown of England.
date
1656
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79921752
creators
10246
genreSpecific
Coins
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 2.9 cm (1 1/8 in.)
cul
England, Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector, 1653-1658
accession
1969.197
Source extras
tec
gold
tombstone
Broad: Oliver Cromwell Lord Protector (obverse); Crowned Shield of Arms (reverse), 1656. Thomas Simon (British). Gold; diameter: 2.9 cm (1 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Norweb Collection, 1969.197
collection
MED - Numismatics
inscriptions
inscription
PAX QVÆRITVR BELLO
inscription_translation
Peace is sought by War
inscription_remark
reverse
inscription
OLIVARD G RP ANG SCO ET HIB&PRO
inscription_translation
Oliver by the Grace of God Protector of the Republic of England Scotland and Ireland
inscription_remark
obverse
didYouKnow
Thomas Simon was one of the great medallists of history and chief engraver at the Royal Mint although he left the regular work to his deputies and spent most of his time on commemorative medals.
citations
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Emery May Norweb. <em>English Gold Coins, Ancient to Modern Times, On Loan to the Cleveland Museum of Art from the Norweb Collection</em>. [Catalog. 1968.
page_number
p. 56
creditline
The Norweb Collection
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:25:15.510000
sourceId
144486
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Numismatics
med
gold
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
d25ea843aca60e0f