thumb|right|Reverse of an Italian florin coin

The Florentine florin was a gold coin () struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time.

It had 54 grains (<!-- A troy ounce is 480 grains -->) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold, worth approximately €450 in today's gold value. However, the modern equivalent of the purchasing power of the coin is closer to approximately €800–1,500. The name of the coin comes from the Giglio bottonato (it), the floral emblem of the city, which is represented at the head of the coin.

History

The was minted in the Republic of Florence after the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade disrupted the minting of fine gold coins in the Byzantine Empire. It came to be accepted across Europe like the Byzantine Solidus had been.

The first minting of the florin occurred in 1252 in Florence and Genoa.

In the 14th century, about 150 European states and local coin-issuing authorities made their own copies of the florin. The most important of these was the Hungarian forint, because the Kingdom of Hungary was a major source of European gold (until mining in the New World began to contribute to the supply in the 16th and 17th centuries, most of the gold used in Europe came from Africa).

Design

The design of the original Florentine florins was the distinctive fleur-de-lis badge of the city on one side and on the other a standing and facing figure of St. John the Baptist wearing a cilice. The symbol to the left of John’s head was the mark of the minting official responsible for the stamping.

The Dutch currency until the 2002 introduction of the Euro, was the Dutch guilder (), symbolised as fl. or ƒ, which means .

The English coin first issued in 1344 by Edward III of England is also known as a florin. Originally valued at six shillings, it was composed of 108 grains (6.99828&nbsp;g) of gold with a purity of 23 carats and grains (or carats) – and more recently (minted between 1849–1967 although circulating alongside the decimal ten pence coin until 1993 when it was withdrawn due to a resizing) relating to a British pre-decimal silver coin (later nickel silver) also known as a two shilling (or two bob) "bit" (abbreviation 2/-) worth 24 pence or one-tenth of a pound.

In Ireland, a silver florin coin (worth one-tenth of an Irish pound, with Irish inscription ) was minted between 1928 and 1943; it became cupronickel in 1943 and was withdrawn from use on 1 June 1994.

The Hungarian forint, first introduced in 1325 under King Charles Robert, is named after the florin.

See also

  • Florin (Australian coin)
  • History of coins in Italy
  • Soldo
  • Venetian ducat
  • Venetian grosso
  • Venetian lira

Notes

References

Bibliography

  • Richard A. Goldthwaite, The Economy of Renaissance Florence [https://books.google.com/books?id=OM2ckx49QFYC&dq=gold+florin+florence+coin&pg=PT71]
  • Money museum:Fiorino d'Oro
  • History of the British Florin