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Message:: [QUOTE="Loong Siew, post: 2650743, member: 75799"]Florence. Italy. Fiorino d'oro. AV. Segno: Ampoule. Circa 1304-1310. Ornate lily of Florence (Fleur-de-lis) and St John the Baptist. EF. One of Europe's most important coinage since the middle ages. The Florentino florin was struck between 1252 to 1533 with little change during its issue. Having a high gold purity and largely influenced by Florence's significance as one of Europe's leading mercantile and financial center, the florin quickly became the dominant trade coinage of the Western world. Whilst silver coinage was the common medium of circulation, the florin was used for large trade transactions. Before the florin, gold coinage was often sourced from the Byzantines and Arab countries given their access to rich gold deposits from the Levant and Northern Africa. Such was the popularity and dominance of the florin that it influenced many subsequent European kingdoms to issue localized copies of the florin. These share the same designs and dimensions of the florin but distinguished by slight variations such as the country name and saints. The dominance of the florin eventually waned and was replaced in it's dominance by the Venetian Ducat after hundreds of years. Such was their significance that the term was largely adopted by various kingdoms such as the Hungarian Forint and the British Florin. [ATTACH=full]586413[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]