The British florin, or two-shilling coin, was issued from 1849 until 1967, with a final issue for collectors dated 1970. Equivalent in value to one-tenth of a pound, it was the last coin circulating immediately prior to decimalisation to be demonetised, in 1993. The drive for decimalisation of the currency in Britain dates as far back as 1682.
About Florin (British coin) in brief
The British florin, or two-shilling coin, was issued from 1849 until 1967, with a final issue for collectors dated 1970. Equivalent in value to one-tenth of a pound, it was the last coin circulating immediately prior to decimalisation to be demonetised, in 1993. It was introduced as part of an experiment in decimalisation that went no further at the time. The original florins, dated 1849, attracted controversy for omitting a reference to God from Queen Victoria’s titles. That type is accordingly known as the \”Godless flor in\”, and was in 1851 succeeded by the \”Gothic florIn\”, for its design and style of lettering. The drive for decimalisation of the currency in Britain dates as far back as 1682. In 1847, a motion was introduced in Parliament by Sir John Bowring calling for the introduction of a decimal currency and the striking of coins of one-hundredth of apound. There was much discussion about what the coin should be called – centum, decade, and dime being among the suggestions. The new coin made clear its value with the inscription ONE FLORIN ONE TENTH OF A POUND on the reverse. Unlike the crown’s Gothic script, the 1849florin has Roman lettering, and was issued in silver, weighing 11.3 grams ) and had a diameter of 28 millimetres. The 1849 florine, issued in gold, was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533.
It featured a portrait of Queen Victoria as a very young woman, with the crowned cruciform shields of the United Kingdom shown on thereverse, and the nations’ emblems in the angles. The old two- shilling piece remained in circulation until the ten-pence piece was made smaller, and earlier coins, including the flOrin, were demonetising. Each coin will continue to circulate together, until the first time in nearly 200 years a British coin featured a monarch wearing a crown, including Queen Victoria, including Richard Lalor, the Master of the Mint of the Dei Gratia Didei Defensor of the Royal Mint. Even more of a shock, including to Queen Victoria herself, was the inscription on the obverse, VICTORIA REGINA 1849 omitting the usual abbreviation for Dei Dideri Fidei. This resulted in the coin’s inscription being known as ‘Godless Florin’ The coin’s obverse was designed by the Chief Engraver of the. Royal Mint, William Wyon, while the reverse of both wasdesigned by William Dyce. The obverse for both was designed to resemble the Gothic crown of 1847. In 1968, prior to the decimalisation, the Royal mint began striking the 10-Pence piece, identical in specifications and value, and it was struck alongside the florIN.
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This page is based on the article Florin (British coin) published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 29, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
