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  • 1849 Silver Florin Victoria Godless Head Portrait Coin
    EF Obverse Graded EF
  • 1849 Victoria Godless Silver Florin Coin crowned shields of england ireland and scotland
    Reverse Graded EF
  • 1849 Silver Florin Victoria Godless Head Portrait Coin
  • 1849 Victoria Godless Silver Florin Coin crowned shields of england ireland and scotland
Estimated UK Delivery
£3.50
Stock status
Out Of Stock
Product ID
8873

1849 Victoria Godless Silver Florin Coin

This 1849 gold full sovereign features the "gothic portriat" of Queen Victoria, earning the coin the epithet of "Godless Florin", again thanks to its obverse design. The reverse, however, shows the crowned shields of Englands, Ireland and Scotland, with both sides of the piece being engraer by William Wyon. 

Spink reference 3890. There are two types listed under this reference. 'WW' where WW initials are present in between where the bust meets the beading and the date. The second type is 'WW obliterated' where the initials have nearly completely been obliterated by the inner circle. The WW obliterated type is rarer.

The coin in aFine has some nice dark and rainbow tones. The 'Fair' example shows the outline of the Queen and all writing on the coin is legible.

Photographs shown may not be the actual coin and may differ in terms of grade, die numbers, design flaws and other minor details.

from £25.00

(Special Scheme Inc. VAT)
Totals are approximate until metal prices are confirmed on the next LBMA fix.

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It is surprising then that the unpopularity of this design was so badly misjudged at the time.

The main problem was that the words "Dei Gratia" (By the Grace of God), had been omitted from the lettering. Part of the "decimalisation movement" must have included a "new age" element. Although the portrait on the godless florin is a very rich and beautiful design, as is the reverse design, the wording was kept simple, almost minimalist. The only word in Latin is "REGINA" (Queen). Human nature seems to dictate that some of us will always resist any change, no matter how obviously beneficial, so most innovations need to be beyond criticism in order to be accepted readily.

In keeping with this "clean" style was the omission of the full Royal titles in Latin, apart as noted, from the word Regina. Along with the rest of the titles went "Dei Gratia". If this had been the only omission, then the criticism becomes more understandable. I can only assume that the opponents of decimalisation and a religious lobby must have conspired with the lower elements of the popular press to rouse up sufficient antipathy and outcry that the issue was killed dead in its tracks. The fact that it took three years to resume the issue of florins raises interesting questions about the commitment to the decimal programme, and over the planning of its implementation. It may even have been a major reason why the complete switch to decimalisation eventually took 122 years!

It represents a tentative step towards decimalising the Pound Sterling, and a similar Florin, the 'Gothic Florin' was introduced a few years later, this time with the words 'Dei Gratia' included.

Apart from the pattern issue of the previous year, this was the only coin of its type released for circulation, due to the controversy over its omission of the words 'Dei Gratia' (Grace of God) from the design.

Edge

The edge is milled.

Obverse

Bust of Queen Victoria, crowned, and with a long hair braid, wearing a dress richly embroidered with roses, shamrocks and thistles.

The engraver's initials W.W. for William Wyon, appear raised to the right of the bust. In some rarer cases W.W. has been obliterated by the inner circle.  

The controversial obverse inscription reads:

"VICTORIA REGINA 1849"

Reverse

Crowned cruciform shields bearing three lions passant for England, lion rampant for Scotland, and harp for Ireland. In the angles are roses, a shamrock and a thistle. In the centre there is a double rose. All contained within a deeply tressured circular panel. 

The reverse design was also by William Wyon.

The reverse legend reads:

"ONE FLORIN ONE TENTH OF A POUND"

Specification

MetalSilver
Silver Weight Troy Ounces0.364
Fineness / Carat0.925 Sterling
Date1849
Spink Reference3,890
Obverse DesignerWilliam Wyon
Reverse DesignerWilliam Wyon
Issuing Monarch Victoria (1837-1901)
Mint / BrandThe Royal Mint
CountryUnited Kingdom
Price List
ObverseReversePriceAvailability
FinegFine£60.00Out Of Stock
aFineaFine£45.00Out Of Stock
aVFaVF£140.00Out Of Stock
VFVF£180.00Out Of Stock
FairFair£25.00Out Of Stock
gFairgFair£45.00Out Of Stock
gVFgVF£150.00Out Of Stock
EFEF£495.00Out Of Stock
Sold Prices
Date Obverse Reverse Price
14 July 2019 gVF gVF £150.00
23 November 2019 Fair Fair £25.00
16 March 2020 Fine gFine £60.00
19 August 2020 EF EF £495.00
18 January 2024 gFair gFair £45.00
12 March 2024 VF VF £180.00
Terms & Delivery

Terms of Sale - Key Points

You can find more information on payment and identification requirements.

Bullion coins are provided as is and on occasion may have some minor scratches or edge knocks. These are not regarded as faulty or damaged goods as their precious metal content and value as a bullion coin is not affected. Any coin sold for a value less than a 180% intrinsic is considered a bullion coin.

Gold investment products are VAT free. Silver investment products are inclusive of VAT at the current rate unless otherwise stated.

All investment products are based on the live precious metal price. Prices will be fixed once the item has been added to the basket and recalculates just before checking out. 

If your product is not a graded coin and is considered a bullion item, it should be noted that these are bought and sold on low premiums over their precious metal content and not solely for aesthetic purposes; therefore, some products may have edge knocks and/or marks. These edge knocks and marks do not alter the specifications of the coins.

Please note that all investment products are exempt from the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and therefore customers do not have the right to cancel their order once the order has been accepted. If customers no longer wish to go ahead with their investment purchase, there is an option to sell the products back to Chard (1964) Ltd instead. View our current buy back prices.

View our full Terms & Conditions.

Delivery Information

We aim to dispatch orders within 48 hours of receiving cleared funds. Our standard delivery methods are as follows.

Orders over £60 - Fully Insured Delivery.

  • Within the UK and BFPO - Next day fully insured and tracked. Delivery starts from £6. 

Orders under £60

  • Within the UK and BFPO - Royal Mail 2nd Class. Your order will normally arrive within 2-3 working days. Delivery starts from £3.50.

If you wish to have your order sent by an alternative method (e.g., Saturday Guaranteed) please contact +441253343081 for more information. Please note, we will not dispatch high value orders over a bank holiday weekend.

For international delivery, please check with your local customs office for more information on custom duty and taxes.

Full delivery information can be found by clicking here.

Postal Insurance

We offer fully insured delivery on all special delivery options. We do need to pass on the cost of this insurance as it soon adds up shipping high value gold and silver products. 

  • Orders under £1500 there is no additional fee.
  • Orders over £1500 we charge a fee in order to cover the increasing costs of insurance. For every £1500 we apply a £1 fee. 

If you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to call the showroom on +441253343081 and one of our team can discuss your purchase. 

Related Blogs

Further Reading 

If you would like to know more about Queen Victoria, the Florin or some of the nation's other significant pieces of coinage we recommend the following: 

Queen Victoria (1837 - 1901)

The Story of the Florin or Two Shilling Piece

Gold Pennies, Florins, Leopards, Nobles, Ryals and Angels

Sculptors Artists & Engravers of British Coins

Sir Thomas Brock Engraver of Queen Victoria