Florin was the name of several gold coins struck in continental Europe. The words comes through the French 'florin', the Italian 'florin' and the Latin 'flos' all meaning 'flower'. The "flower" on the coin is the Fleur-de-Lis emblem which is composed of elements of the Lily and white Iris plant. This design has been found as far away as Egypt and India and it appears on some Etruscan bronzes as well. In heraldy it was used in the 12th century in France, England and Germany.
The weight of the original gold florin was about 54 grains. The reverse shows the standing figure of St. John the Baptist. First struck in 1252 by the City-Repbublid of Florence, Italy, the coin was held in high commercial repute all over Europe because of the purity of its gold.
This is a reproduction of that Florin, electroplated in gold.
DIMENSIONS: Coin is ¾" diameter and length from coin to end is ¾" long.
PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF MEASUREMENTS, AND E-MAIL OR CALL IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT SIZE OR CONDITION.
