How does the legend read?

[Pavel]

Bit of a stupid question but...

Looking at a pre-decimal coin of Queen Elizabeth II with a legend in Latin, it says:

a) ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F : D : +
or
b) + ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F : D :

Example:
https://onlinecoin.club/Coins/Country/United_Kingdom/Halfpenny_1955/

In other words, is the cross the first or the last symbol?

Does anyone know if it has any special meaning? It was suggested in another forum that it's basically a remnant from the olden times, when legends were not too legible and it was used as a sort of hint as to where to start reading; in other words, it should be the first symbol (case b above).

Edited November 15, 2018 by Pavel

[Rob]

It is the first symbol.

Originally there was a symbol to designate when the coin was struck. This symbol is known as the mint mark, privy mark or initial mark and may be a cross, or something else. The mark changed following each pyx trial in medieval times, but prior to that the mark was almost always a cross.

[Pavel]

Thanks Rob.

[Peckris 2]

You could argue it's just an indicator between the start and end of the legend.