1901 Florin – Victoria

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.


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.

In the real World the term 'Florin' was hardly ever used, the coin was generally known as "Two Shillings" or just "Two Bob".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.
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.