Victorian issues .281849.E2.80.931901.29 Florin (British coin)

the 1849 godless florin

the first florins struck in 1849. in gothic style, , featured portrait of queen victoria young woman, crowned cruciform shields of united kingdom shown on reverse, , nations emblems in angles. new florin closely resembles gothic crown of 1847; obverse both designed chief engraver of royal mint, william wyon, while reverse of both designed william dyce. unlike crown s gothic script, 1849 florin has roman lettering. 1849 florin, issued in silver, weighed 11.3 grams , had diameter of 28 millimetres. new coin made clear value inscription 1 florin 1 tenth of pound on reverse. aid in decimal experiment, half crown (two shillings , sixpence, or one-eighth of pound), near florin in size , value, not issued between 1850 , 1874, when struck again @ request of banks, , surveys found both coins played useful parts in commerce. each continue struck, , circulate together, until decimalisation.

these first coins shock public, first time in 200 years british coin featured portrait of monarch wearing crown. more of shock, including (allegedly) queen victoria herself, inscription on obverse, victoria regina 1849, omitting usual d g dei gratia (by grace of god) coin s inscription. resulted in being known godless florin . further controversy caused omission of usual abbreviation f d fidei defensor (defender of faith): master of mint, richard lalor sheil, irishman , roman catholic, suspected of plotting overthrow protestant regime. inscription had in fact been suggested albert, prince consort, victoria s husband. sheil stated in house of commons inscription had been mistake, , florin redesigned next issue in 1851.

the revised florin s diameter increased 30 millimetres (the weight unchanged), , lettering on coin in gothic script, resulting in being known gothic florin. coin same designers; date rendered in roman numerals. bust of victoria , heraldry on reverse largely unchanged. latin inscription on obverse read victoria d g brit reg f d date, while reverse read 1 florin 1 tenth of pound. despite royal commission, drive decimalisation died out; there lukewarm support 1855 motion in commons applauding issuance of florin , seeking further decimal coins. gothic florin produced each year until 1887, excepting 1861 , 1882. 1864 until 1879, many florins struck die numbers on obverse (found right of victoria s brooch, possibly part of mint investigation how long took coinage dies wear out. beginning 1867 issues, brit on obverse rendered britt, following latin practice in abbreviations of doubling final consonant plural. thus, victoria s title changed queen of britain queen of britains , including colonies , other territories.

in 1887, part of coinage redesign victoria s golden jubilee, new obverse design, showing queen older woman, debuted on gold , silver coinage. dubbed jubilee head , sir joseph boehm. various flora removed florin s reverse , replaced sceptres between shields garter star in centre. jubilee head proved unpopular, due in part crown worn queen, deemed ridiculously small. jubilee florin shared reverse short-lived double florin, gertrude rawlings in 1898 described radiating kitchen pokers , tea trays . reverse design created , engraved leonard charles wyon (who engraved obverse), though influenced gold coinage of charles ii designed john roettier. diameter reduced 29.5 millimetres. inscriptions in latin letters , arabic numerals. inscription on obverse read victoria dei gratia, while reverse read fid def britt reg, no indication of value. jubilee florin struck each year between 1887 , 1892.

1899 florin designed sir edward poynter

given unpopularity of jubilee bust, committee set in february 1891 recommend new designs. obverse designed thomas brock selected, , committee recommended new reverses. advisory committee recommended different bust (also brock) used on florin distinguish half crown. recommendation not accepted, , florin used same veiled head or old head obverse introduced silver , gold coinage in 1893. better distinguish half crown, diameter reduced 29 28.5 mm. obverse inscribed victoria dei gra britt regina fid def ind imp, new reverse showing 3 shields separated rose, shamrock, , thistle (symbolising england, scotland , ireland) under crown, , inscription 1 florin 2 shillings. reverse created sir edward poynter, , issued each year between 1893 , 1901, year of victoria s death.

cite error: there <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on page, references not show without {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see page).