The Story of the Double Florin

Reverse of 1887 Double Florin

Obverse of 1887 Double Florin

Not so New!
The double florin was first issued in1887 under Queen Victoria, but it was not a completely new idea as a four shilling coin had been issued as early as 1604 under James I.

James I Thistle Crown
Under James I, there were a number of changes made to the coinage, particularly to the gold coin denominations.
James I of England was also James VI of Scotland. He had been James VI of Scotland since 1567, and acceded to the British Throne in 1603, thus unifying the English and Scottish thrones.
One of the new coins introduced in his reign was a thistle crown, a gold coin with a value of four shillings, equal to one fifth of a pound. The thistle crown was issued from about 1604 to1619.

Double Florin
In 1887, the double florin was introduced, with a value of four shillings. After the introduction of the florin in 1849, intended to be Britain's first decimal coin, it was perhaps a logical step to introduce this new coin. Logic lost the day however, as the double florin did not prove to be popular, possibly because it was too close in diameter to the crown, and after 1890 and only four years , this new denomination was discontinued.

The Future
The concept of a coin with a value of one fifth of a pound was vindicated with the introduction in 1982 of the twenty pence. This coin has proved to be popular, with millions being minted every year since its introduction.

If you want to find the value of a coin you own, please take a look at our page I've Found An Old Coin, What's It Worth?