Florin (English coin)

Florin (English coin)

The Florin or Double Leopard was an attempt by English king Edward III to produce a gold coinage suitable for use in Europe as well as in England (see also Half Florin or Leopard and Quarter Florin or Helm). The florin, based on a French coin and ultimately on coins issued in Florence, Italy, in 1252, was a standard coin widely used internationally, with a value of six shillings. Unfortunately the gold used to strike the coins was overvalued, resulting in the coins being unacceptable to merchants, and the coins were withdrawn after only a few months in circulation, in August 1344, to be melted down to produce the more popular gold Noble. This is unfortunate as few specimens survived of what is often regarded as one of the most beautiful medieval English coins ever produced.

The obverse of the coin shows the King enthroned beneath a canopy, with two leopards' heads at the sides (the leopard being the heraldic "lion" on the English coat of arms); the legend is EDWR D GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC DNS HIB (Edward by the Grace of God King of England and France Lord of Ireland).The reverse of the coin shows the Royal cross within a quatrefoil, a leopard in each spandrel; the legend is IHC TRANSIENS PER MEDIUM ILLORUM IBAT (But Jesus passing through their midst went His way).

Only three examples of this coin are known to exist: two discovered on the River Tyne in 1857, and one discovered in January 2006. The latter coin was sold at auction in July 2006 for a record price for a British coin, of £460,000. [http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=953822006]

For the nineteenth and twentieth century florin worth two shillings, see florin (British coin). For other denominations, see British coinage.

External links

* [http://www.ukcoinpics.co.uk/sixs.html Picture of double leopard and noble] on www.ukcoinpics.co.uk


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Noble (English coin) — Edward III: AV noble. 1354 1355. Pre treaty period, series E, London mint The Noble was the first English gold coin produced in quantity, having been preceded by the Gold penny and the Florin earlier in the reigns of King Henry III and King… …   Wikipedia

  • Florin — For people named Florin see Florin (name). Florin may refer to:;Modern currency * The Netherlands Antillean guilder (abbreviated ANG) is also known as a florin , and abbreviated NAFl * Aruban florin, the currency of Aruba * Hungarian forint, the… …   Wikipedia

  • florin — An English coin which at one time was the equivalent of six shillings, but later, since 1849, two shillings. A coin of medieval Florence …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • Aruban florin — Arubaanse florijn (Dutch) ISO 4217 code AWG User(s) …   Wikipedia

  • florin — c.1300, from O.Fr. florin, from It. fiorino, from fiore flower, from L. florem flower (see FLORA (Cf. flora)). The 13c. gold Florentine coin was stamped on the obverse with the image of a lily, the symbol of the city. As the name of an English… …   Etymology dictionary

  • florin — ► NOUN 1) a former British coin worth two shillings. 2) an English gold coin of the 14th century, worth six shillings and eight old pence. 3) a Dutch guilder. ORIGIN Italian fiorino little flower (originally referring to a Florentine coin bearing …   English terms dictionary

  • English unit — is the American name for a unit in one of a number of systems of units of measurement, some obsolete, and some still in use in present day USA, the UK, and elsewhere. The modern United States customary units system as a whole is not, and has… …   Wikipedia

  • Florin — English form of Latin florenus, a gold coin first issued at Florence in 1252 …   Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

  • florin — [14] Florin came via Old French florin from Italian fiorino, a diminutive of fiore ‘flower’. This was used as the name of a gold coin first issued in Florence, Italy in 1252, which had the figure of a lily on its obverse side. In the 15th century …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • florin — [14] Florin came via Old French florin from Italian fiorino, a diminutive of fiore ‘flower’. This was used as the name of a gold coin first issued in Florence, Italy in 1252, which had the figure of a lily on its obverse side. In the 15th century …   Word origins

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”