Copyright reserved by the author, Tony Clayton
v26 4th March 2015
3s, 40d & 45d <<-- : -->> 5s, 5s3d and 5s6d
Values of Double Florins
Pictures of the Double Florin
From 1544 to 1547 Henry VIII valued the gold half angel, or angelet, at four shillings, after which date they were revalued at five shillings.
A Crown of value four shillings was issued by James I at some time between 1604 and 1619. It is so called because of the crowned thistle on the reverse. The purpose was to try and unify the coinages of England and Scotland. In the latter country coins of 48 shillings circulated (12 Scottish shillings equalled 1 English shilling at the time).
This coin appeared in 1887 during the reign of Queen Victoria when the new Jubilee coinage was introduced. It was intended to reinforce decimalisation started with the florin some years earlier.
Unfortunately the crown was also issued again after a break of forty years, and the new double florin proved unpopular. Rumours that the coin was confused with the crown are unfounded - there was no more confusion than between the half crown and the florin. It was just the usual dislike of a new denomination.
The obverse has the usual Jubilee portrait of the Queen. The reverse is quite distinct from that of the crown, with four crowned cruciform shields around a Garter star with sceptres in the angles
The 1887 issue appears with two types of one in the date. Initially it had a Roman I, but this was later changed to an Arabic 1.
In 1888 and 1889 a broken punch results in the 'inverted 1' variety, with the second I in VICTORIA affected. They are slightly scarcer than the standard coin.
The coin was last issued in 1890, making its four year span one of the shortest in the history of British coins.
Due to the rising price of gold the value of all half-nobles in circulation was raised to 50 pence in 1464. No further coins of this value were struck, but a new rose half-noble or half-ryal was minted valued at five shillings.
After decimalisation in 1971 a fifty pence coin appeared. Details of this coin are on the Decimal 50p Coins page.
An extremely rare coin struck during the second coinage of Henry VIII for a few months in 1526, at the weight of the French ecu, and of 23 ct gold, the first issued below the fine standard of 23¾ ct. It was valued at 4s 6d.
There are two types, both of which feature a large rose on the reverse. One has the inscription HENRIC RUTILANS ROSA SINE SPINA, meaning 'Henry a dazzling rose without a thorn', and the other DNS HIB RUTILANS ROSA SINE SPINA, meaning 'Lord of Ireland a dazzling rose without a thorn'!
C.H.V.Sutherland in his book 'English Coinage 600-1900' records that only two specimens of the Crown of the Rose are known.
See my Main Coins Index page for acknowledgements
3s, 40d & 45d <<-- :
-->> 5s, 5s3d and 5s6d
Main Index
Values Index
Values of Double Florins.
Values of Decimal 50 pence coins.
No values of the Half Noble or the Crown of the Rose are available.
Pictures of a Double Florin.
Pictures Index
Coins of the UK - 4s, 50d and 4s6d
Copyright reserved by the author, Tony Clayton
v26 4th March 2015