1 Florin - Victoria 1st portrait 'Gothic' type (1851–1887)

One row for each year the 1 Florin - Victoria 1st portrait – 'Gothic' type was struck. Prices are medians of verified sold listings matched to that year from the listing: circulated is worn condition up to Extremely Fine, uncirculated is About Uncirculated or better. A count in brackets means fewer than three sales behind the figure; a grey figure marked "type" is the median across every year, shown where that year has no sale of its own yet; years with no sales yet fill in as sales are recorded. Most types have been searched year by year only since October 2026, so later years are still filling in. Use the grade table below for a price by condition across all years.

About the 1851 1 Florin - Victoria – 'Gothic' type

The 1851 1 Florin - Victoria – 'Gothic' type is a circulating 1 florin coin issued from 1851 to 1887, struck in 92.5% silver. It weighs 11.31g and measures 30mm across. Reverse design: Crowned cruciform shields of England, Scotland and Ireland, national flower emblems in angles, legend around.

Mintage figures are recorded for 35 years between 1852 and 1887, 61,557,725 coins in all. 1869 is the scarcest date, with 297,000 struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1993), so its value is to collectors only.

Common questions

History and design

The florin of 1849 was meant as a first step towards decimal coinage, but it left 'by the Grace of God' and 'Defender of the Faith' out of the Queen's titles. The Royal Mint Museum records the uproar over this 'Godless' florin, and the second issue, released in 1852, restored the titles. The Mint also made it larger, because the 1849 coin was dumpy and lacked a clear ring, though this brought it closer in size to the half crown.

The florin took root partly because half crowns stopped being minted for circulation in 1850 and were not resumed until 1874. The Gothic type was struck every year to 1887 except 1861 and 1882. Collector references give 297,000 for 1869, the lowest currency year, and over seven million for 1872. A figure of 1,540 is recorded for 1851, but Tony Clayton suggests those coins may be worn proofs.

The obverse is William Wyon's crowned bust of the Queen in the Gothic style, first made for the proof crowns of 1847. The legend, in Gothic letters, reads VICTORIA D G BRIT REG F D, with BRITT replacing BRIT from some 1867 dies, and the date follows in Roman numerals. The Royal Mint Museum notes that the Roman date has led many people to think these coins are undated.

The reverse, designed by William Dyce according to Wikipedia, shows the crowned shields of England, Scotland and Ireland arranged as a cross, with the national flowers in the angles. Around it runs ONE FLORIN ONE TENTH OF A POUND. The coin weighs the same as the 1849 florin but measures 30 mm across.

Varieties and errors

The Gothic florin is a series of many small varieties. Tony Clayton notes dies with different numbers of arcs between the legend and the rim, and die numbers below the bust on many coins of the 1860s and 1870s. He also notes three different heads, scarce 1852 and 1859 coins without a stop after the date, and rare 1865 and 1866 coins with a colon after it. His values list adds an 1874 date with iv over iii, and 1877 coins with WW below the bust. He dismisses the rumoured 1887 coin with an 1886-type obverse as false.

Collecting notes

Read the Roman date carefully and count the border arcs: the variety often matters more than the year. The 1887 Gothic florin shares its date with the new Jubilee florin. Wikipedia, citing Coin News, puts the Gothic share at 543,525, while Coin Hunter's 1,776,903 combines both types.

Florins became 10p coins at decimalisation and were demonetised at the end of June 1993. The type before this one is the 1849 Godless florin.