Florin

Before the decimalisation of the British currency in 1971, the florin was a coin of the value of two shillings and co-existed for a while at the new value of ten ‘new pence’. The first florin was a gold coin issued by the city-state of Florence in 1252, whence the origin of the name, florin deriving from Florence. Although Edward III issued a gold coin in 1344, which was also called a florin, the florin as we know it today, as two shillings, did not make its appearance until Queen Victoria’s reign, in 1849 to be precise. In this form, the florin continued until 1970 after which date no further florins were struck. If you have an old florin dated 1970, it might be worth more than a couple of bob.