Commonwealth Of England 1656 IIvi Coin

It's an English coin that dates from the Commonwealth period (England was a republic after the civil war, from 1649 to 1660). The "II VI" mark is the denomination: 2 shillings and 6 pence, also known as a halfcrown. This particular design is colloquially known as "breeches money" because the two shields side-by-side resemble a mediaeval pair of short pants.

These coins are reasonably expensive. Here's one being offered for sale in Australia for AU$800 (about 650 euro at current exchange rates). Yours may be worth a little less because of the large scratches across both sides, but I'd expect several hundred euros at a minimum.

Its real in my opinion ... most contemporary counterfeits of the period have the sun mintmark without any features ... the lettering is also not perfectly aligned all around and some letters are double profiled ... the one in my collection is actually a silver/mercury amalgam plated coin (not wash) over a debased copper alloy ... quite rare in its own right.

John Lorenzo
United States