Brian's Bits

By Kanyl

NOW where's he off to?

       A bit nearer home this time.  2-3 I did, in all probability, get in change since decimalisation. 
       Squeaking of Decimals, I've probably mentioned this before - BUT - did you know we've already had one, failed, attempt at decimalising our currency?  We MIGHT have ended up with 10 pence to the Florin and 10 Florins to the Pound.
"The Westminster Collection" tells us that:-
       "The Florin first entered circulation in 1849 and had a value of 1/10th of a pound, or 24 pence (in old money). Supposedly, the name came from a similar coin issued in the Netherlands to help with decimalisation there."
AND:-
"The Gothic portrait was featured on the Florin when it was first introduced in 1849. Because the bust was larger than the previous Young Head portrait, the design omitted ten important letters.  The words “DEI GRATIA” had been removed from the coin’s inscription.  In a deeply religious society, the fact that the words meaning “by the grace of God” no longer appeared on the coin caused outrage.
Many people believed that the lack of the inscription had angered God and caused famine and sickness at the time, leading many to avoid the coin altogether.
The public outrage meant that the design was altered to include a shortened version of DEI GRATIA (d.g.) by making the diameter of the coin 2mm bigger.  This coin soon became the Gothic Florin and was better received by the public, but it’s safe to say that the disaster with the Godless Florin tainted the idea of decimalisation for many years. It also meant that the Godless Florin circulated for just a few years, making it one of the shortest-lived coins in our history.  The public outrage meant that the design was altered to include a shortened version of DEI GRATIA (d.g.) by making the diameter of the coin 2mm bigger.  This coin soon became the Gothic Florin and was better received by the public, but it’s safe to say that the disaster with the Godless Florin tainted the idea of decimalisation for many years.  It also meant that the Godless Florin circulated for just a few years, making it one of the shortest-lived coins in our history!"
It also means I don't have one;-
Reason one - It didn't last long.
Reason two - Had I had any, they'd have been weighed in during the mid-1980s when Silver was worth ≈ 20 X Face value and we were being paid A N A D  a "Quid per Bob" by the local "Coin wallah".

Just seen & added:-
"The Victorian’s made a second attempt at decimalisation in 1887 in the form of the Double Florin (equivalent to 1/5th of a pound, or 48 pennies), issued with a new portrait of Queen Victoria for her Jubilee. But this coin also wasn’t received well and was withdrawn from circulation completely by 1890."

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