Florin

This article is about the historical coinage from Florence. For other uses, including other currencies, see Florin (disambiguation).
The back of an Italian florin coin
Florin from the Środa treasure

The Florentine florin was a gold coin (in Italian Fiorino d'oro) struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time.[1] It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.1125 troy ounces) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold[2] with a purchasing power difficult to estimate (and variable) but ranging according to social grouping and perspective from approximately 140 to 1,000 modern US dollars. The name of the coin comes from the Giglio bottonato (it), the floral emblem of the city, which is represented at the head of the coin.[3]

  1. ^ See the Ricordanze di S. Maria di Cafaggio, which mentions florins being used in the year MCCL (1250).
  2. ^ Bernocchi, Mario (1976). Le monete della repubblica fiorentina. Vol. III. Leo S. Olschki Editore. p. 66.
  3. ^ Bazzicchi, Oreste (2011). Il paradosso francescano tra povertà e società di mercato. Effatà Editrice. p. 98. ISBN 978-88-7402-665-4.