British 1849 'Godless' Florin (2/-).

Discussion in 'World Coins' started by Aidan Work, Aug 1, 2006.

  1. Aidan Work

    Aidan Work New Member

    Steve,I finally picked up a key coin I was missing from my British collection - the famous 1849 'Godless' Florin.
    It cost me NZ$30 (around 10 Quid).

    The 'Godless' Florin got its name because it does not have 'DEI GRATIA' or an abbreviation for it in Queen Victoria's title.The same thing happened in 1911 with the Canadian coins.

    The basic design is the same as the Gothic Florin,but its plain lettering & ordinary numerals (1849) is a dead giveaway.There are 2 types.

    The 'normal' type has the designer's initials (W.W.) (for William Wyon) behind the Queen's head.The rare type has these initials obliterated.It can be seen best with a magnifying glass.

    Aidan.

    :hail: :hammer: :mouth: :whistle: :desk:
     
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  3. De Orc

    De Orc Well-Known Member

    Well done AAiden I am after one for my own collection :thumb: got out bid on one a while ago LOL

    De Orc :bow:
     
  4. Aidan Work

    Aidan Work New Member

    Steve,they are a scarce coin.The mintage figure of these is just around the 400,000 pieces mark.I got it at work,as I work part-time for a coin dealer.

    Aidan.
     
  5. jackeen

    jackeen Senior Member

    I much prefer the Gothic florin that replaced it.
     
  6. Aidan Work

    Aidan Work New Member

    Jackeen,I have a couple of the Gothic Florins.The dates are difficult to work out,that is if you are unfamiliar with Roman numerals.The ones in the late 1860's all the way through to the 1879 issue have a die number.You will find it located under the Queen's portrait.You will need to use a magnifying glass,as they are easy to miss.

    Aidan.
     
  7. sylvester

    sylvester New Member

    Really? I didn't think they were particularly scare, well i've never considered them to be so but it's not my area so i might be a tad in the dark on that.
     
  8. Aidan Work

    Aidan Work New Member

    Hello,Sylvester.We haven't heard from you for ages.Any coin with a mintage figure under a million pieces is usually considered scarce.As to the 'Godless' Florin,we see very few of them over here in New Zealand,but they're a nice coin,all the same.

    Aidan.
     
  9. sylvester

    sylvester New Member

    Yeah i pop in from time to time Aidan! :D I'm sporadic at best, i get tied up on coinpeople running coin competitions in what free internet time i do have. I do try and pop in every few monmths though to see how everyone's getting along! :D

    Hm godless florins, know i come to think on it's a long while since i had one.
     
  10. jackeen

    jackeen Senior Member

    They were reconized at the time as a one-year type, and like the 1883 "no cents" American five cent piece, were saved in numbers. As a result, they are more available and in better average condition than their contemporaries.
     
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