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The English civil war was a period of unrest and upheaval. On February 6, 1648, the House of Commons determined that the House of Peers was "useless and dangerous" and ought to be abolished. In keeping with this thinking, the Commonwealth ordered Sir Robert Haley, Master of the Mint, to strike new coinage. Haley found the design and inscription to be unacceptable and he refused to comply. He was quickly removed from office. Aaron Guerdain then was appointed Master and proceeded with the minting as directed.

All the gold coins produced by Guerdain were struck in crown gold of 23 1/2kts. The obverse features a shield with St. George's cross, a sprig of laurel to the right and a palm to the left. To avoid any signs of popery, the inscription "The Commonwealth of England" and all other legends were in English, The Commonwealth gold coins generally are considered to be the ugliest in the English gold series.

In 1656 and again in 1658, the Mint struck a few 20-shilling pieces with Cromwell's bust on the obverse and a crowned shield on the reverse. Engraved by Thomas Simon, this coin's Latin legend proclaimed Cromwell to be the "Protector of the Republic of England, Scotland and Ireland." But Cromwell dissolved the Parliament after 16 days because it would not submit to his authority. When he died in 1670, the Commonwealth soon followed suit.