THE COIN COLLECTOR - World eBook Library

TERMINOLOGY
Shekel, with the half and the quarter—A silver coin
of Judaea = four Tyrian drachmai, with the legends in
Samaritan characters, first struck, so far as is known,
about b.c. 143-137. These coins are of thick fabric,
and have become, through finds, comparatively plentiful.
There is also a half-shekel struck over a Roman
denarius of ordinary module. Both the Jewish shekel
and the half-shekel are interesting in connection with
the Scriptural incidents of the Betrayal and the
tribute-money.
Shilling—(i.) A well-known English denomination,
commencing with Henry VII. in 1504, and existing
down to the present time in a periodically modified
form. The first of the modern type is that of
Cromwell, 1658. The first shilling (and sixpence) on
which the appellation occurs are those of 1831. (ii.)
A silver coin of Scotland = a penny English, first
struck under James VI., first coinage (1567), in the
multiples of 30 (sword-dollar), and later on, fourth
coinage (1581), of 16, 8, 4 and 2; fifth coinage, 40,
30, 20, 10 ; seventh coinage, 50. After the Union,
we find the 60, 30, 12, 6, 3, 2, 1, and half-shilling
(1605). The higher values, especially the sixty-shilling
of James II. and William III., are rare. The sixty-
shilling piece was = five shillings English currency.
Siege-money—The pieces struck either by the in-
habitants of the place besieged or by the besiegers, or
both. It constitutes an enormous series, of which even
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