The 1849 Godless Florin - VictoriaThis silver Florin (two shillings) of Queen Victoria was one of the most controversial coins to be made in Britain. The normal Latin abbreviations of Dei Gra or DG (meaning 'By the Grace of God') and Fid Def ('Defender of the Faith') were omitted and so the coin became the 'Godless' Florin.
Whether the omission was some kind of Religious plot, or just an error of judgement is perhaps unclear, but it did cause public outcry and the next Florins minted reinstated the terms.
The 1849 coin, although controversial, is not that rare or expensive. The design itself was produced as patterns in 1848 and they are rare and expensive. They are beautiful coins. The coins were part of a Gothic crown theme which continued after this coin, although the 1849 coin had Roman lettering rather than the Gothic script used on the crown.
The Obverse, designed by Chief Engraver of the Royal Mint William Wyon, shows Queen Victoria wearing a crown, which was the first time a Monarch had worn a crown on a coin in more than 200 years.
The Reverse, by William Dyce, shows an ornately decorated crowned cross. Note the legend says 'one tenth of a pound' maybe indicating early thoughts of decimalisation.Image credit: Public Domain.
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Mintage: 414,000 (may include coins in sets)
Minted at The Royal Mint.
Remember 1849 ?
Monarch is Queen Victoria. Prime Minister is Lord John Russell (Whig). US President is James Knox Polk (D-Tennessee), and then on March 4 it is Zachary Taylor (W-Kentucky). Polk is the first sitting US President to have his photograph taken. Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the United States' first woman doctor. Karl Marx moves from Paris to London (and lives there until his death). Charles Dickens serialises David Copperfield. The design of the Staunton chess set is registered by Nathaniel Cooke. Two shilling coin (florin), showing the Queen wearing a crown, is introduced partly to test public opinion on possible decimalization of the currency.
Victoria (1837-1901)
Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she adopted the additional title of Empress of India. Victoria ruled for 64 years, a record only recently surpassed by Queen Elizabeth II.Victoria's parents were Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathern, and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She married Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who later became known as Prince Albert. Victoria had nine children, the eldest son succeeding her as Edward VII.
Victoria posed for a number of head portraits, but there are generally three major variants: Young Head (1838-1887) by William Wyon, RA; Jubilee Head (1887-1893) by Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm and Old Head (1893-1901) by by Sir Thomas Brock.
Category: Florins
The Florin is a 2 shillings coin, one-tenth fo a pound sterling. The British florin was issued from 1849 until 1967, with a final collectors coin dated 1970. After decimalisation it became the 10p piece.Specifications:
- Mass 11.31 g
- Diameter
- (1849) 28.0 mm
- (1851–1886) 30.0 mm
- (1887–1892) 29.5 mm
- (1893–1970) 28.5 mm
- Edge is Milled
- Composition:
- (1849–1919) 92.5% Ag
- (1920–1946) 50% Ag
- (1947–1970) Cupronickel. No silver.
Which Mint: The Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the designated place for the UK to mint coins. It dates back well over 1000 years and is a Government-owned company. Formed in the reign of Alfred the Great about the year 886, during the period 1279-1812 it was generally referred to as The Tower Mint as it was housed at the Tower of London. The Master of The Royal Mint has included famous figures such as Sir Isaac Newton.
Since 2010 it has operated as Royal Mint Ltd, a company owned by HM Treasury, under an exclusive contract to supply all coinage for the UK although it also produces medals and coins for other countries. It is currently located at Llantrisant, Wales.
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
The United Kingdom (UK) is the Union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is often refered to as Great Britain (GBR). It has a long, rich history. The orignal coinage was Pounds, Shillings and Pence but since decimalisation on 15 February 1971, it is £1 = 100p, that is One Pound = 100 pence. The coinage of the UK is also a long history, the Royal Mint being established as long ago as 886AD when coins were hammered. Today there is perhaps 30 billion coins in circulation, and many (numismatic) collectors coins and sets are issued frequently in gold, silver and other metals.
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| Victoria, "godless" florin 1849, WW £ 275.00 |
| Great Britain Victoria 1849 Godless Florin (Ref. f0343) £ 30.00 |
| 1849 victoria godless silver florin, high grade , superb toning £ 225.00 |
| 1849 Queen Victoria Silver Godless Florin Coin - Extremely Fine - SPINK 3890 £ 179.99 |
 | RARE VICTORIA. 1849 'GODLESS' FLORIN/TWO SHILLINGS WW OBLITERATED VARIETY #7194 £ 425.00 |
 | 1849 victoria godless silver florin, high grade , superb toning £ 210.00 |
 | Great Britain. 1849 "godless" Florin.. VF - Trace Lustre £ 127.89 |
 | Great Britain.. 1849 "godless" Florin.. VF - Trace Lustre £ 127.89 |
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