Florentine Florin Gold Coin

Timeline

1. 1252Florence Mint · TuscanyThe Republic of Florence issued a new gold standard, minting florins stamped with the lily and the image of Saint John; their weight and fineness remained stable over the long term, quickly winning the commercial credit backing of the city-states.
2. 1280–1320Mediterranean trade network · Italian PeninsulaFlorins entered Provence, Sicily, and Levant ports with Florentine bankers and caravans, becoming the unit of account for cross-border settlement and credit contracts, and competing regionally with the Venetian ducat.
3. 1331–1340Florence and European commercial hubs · TuscanyAgainst the backdrop of the papacy's residence in Avignon and the flourishing Anglo-French wool-cloth trade, the florin became the preferred gold coin in the Low Countries and France for paying for English wool and settling Flemish cloth orders, its prestige peaking in the mid-14th century.