Gold leopard coin (FindID 976940-1146042)

The florin (also known as a leopard) was an attempt by English King

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

to produce a

gold coin A gold coin is a coin that is made mostly or entirely of gold. Most gold coins minted since 1800 are 90–92% gold (22karat), while most of today's gold bullion coins are pure gold, such as the Britannia, Canadian Maple Leaf, and American Buffa ...

age suitable for use in Europe as well as in England. The florin was largely based on contemporary European gold coins, with a value of three shillings. The gold used to strike the coins was overvalued, resulting in the coins being unacceptable to the public, and the coins were withdrawn after only a few months in circulation in August 1344 to be melted down to produce the more popular

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Great B ...

. Few specimens have survived of what is often regarded as one of the most beautiful medieval English coins ever produced. The obverse of the coin shows a leopard with a cloak of the royal arms; the legend is EDWAR D GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC DNS HIB ("Edward, by the Grace of God King of England and France,

Lord of Ireland The Lordship of Ireland ( ga, Tiarnas na hÉireann), sometimes referred to retroactively as Norman Ireland, was the part of Ireland ruled by the King of England (styled as "Lord of Ireland") and controlled by loyal Anglo-Norman lords between ...

"). The reverse of the coin shows the Royal cross within a

quatrefoil A quatrefoil (anciently caterfoil) is a decorative element consisting of a symmetrical shape which forms the overall outline of four partially overlapping circles of the same diameter. It is found in art, architecture, heraldry and traditional ...

, a leopard in each quarter; the legend is DOMINE NE IN FURORE TUO ARGUAS ME ("O Lord, rebuke me not in Thy anger", from

Psalm 6 Psalm 6 is the sixth psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure". In Latin, it is known as "Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me". Th ...

). Only five examples are known to survive. In 2019, experts announced the discovery of an example from Reepham, Norfolk. This same coin was announced for auction in March 2022. It sold for £140,000.

References

English gold coins {{coin-stub