1849 Godless Florin – Victoria

The 1849 Godless Florin - Victoria

This silver Florin (two shillings) of Queen Victoria was one of the most controversial coins to be made in Britain. The normal Latin abbreviations of Dei Gra or DG (meaning 'By the Grace of God') and Fid Def ('Defender of the Faith') were omitted and so the coin became the 'Godless' Florin.

Whether the omission was some kind of Religious plot, or just an error of judgement is perhaps unclear, but it did cause public outcry and the next Florins minted reinstated the terms.

The 1849 coin, although controversial, is not that rare or expensive. The design itself was produced as patterns in 1848 and they are rare and expensive. They are beautiful coins. The coins were part of a Gothic crown theme which continued after this coin, although the 1849 coin had Roman lettering rather than the Gothic script used on the crown.

The Obverse, designed by Chief Engraver of the Royal Mint William Wyon, shows Queen Victoria wearing a crown, which was the first time a Monarch had worn a crown on a coin in more than 200 years.

The Reverse, by William Dyce, shows an ornately decorated crowned cross. Note the legend says 'one tenth of a pound' maybe indicating early thoughts of decimalisation.

Image credit: Public Domain.

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