Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Kings 10:16

"And king Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred [shekels] of gold went to one buckler." — 1 Kings 10:16 (ASV)

The “targets” seem to have been long shields protecting the whole body, while the “shields” of the next verse were bucklers of a smaller size, probably round, and much lighter. They may be compared with the Assyrian long shield and the ordinary Assyrian round shield. As the amount of gold used in each of the larger shields was only 600 shekels—worth from £650 to £700—and that used in the smaller ones was only half as much, it is evident that the metal did not form the substance of the shields, but was laid as a coating or plating over them.