Florin (English coin)


The double florin or double leopard was an attempt in 1344 by English king Edward III to produce a gold coinage suitable for use in Europe as well as in England. It was 108 grains of nominal pure gold and had a value of six shillings.

Description

The continental florin, based on a French coin and ultimately on coins issued in Florence, Italy, in 1252, was a standard coin widely used internationally.
The coins were underweight for their value, resulting in them being unacceptable to merchants, and the coins were withdrawn after only a few months in circulation, in August 1344, to be melted down to produce the more popular gold noble.
The obverse of the coin shows the King enthroned beneath a canopy, with two leopards' heads at the sides ; the legend is EDWR D GRA REX ANGL ⁊ FRANC DNS HIB. 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.
Only three examples of this coin are known to exist: two discovered in 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. The first two discovered are displayed in the British Museum. It is currently valued at $6.8 million.