From the Royal Mint Museum...
The Royal Mint Museum houses one of the finest coin collections in the world, containing some of the most outstanding rarities of the modern British coinage.
In an effort to share this national treasure more widely, an item from the Museum will be selected and explained each month on the Royal Mint website. Over a period of time these short notes will form a fascinating insight into the Royal Mint and the coins it has made for over 1000 years.
Double-Florin Standard Weight
Weight and fineness are important considerations for the Mint and the collection reflects this in its array of balances and trial plates. The double-florin weight illustrated here was made in 1887 by Oertling, a firm that was responsible for supplying weights and balances of the highest quality at the end of the nineteenth century.
The Victorian double-florin of 1887-90 is an often misunderstood coin, being wrongly seen as a concession to those who lobbied for a decimal coinage, whereas its true function was to encourage the use of silver over gold. Ultimately it did not prove to be a particularly popular part of the currency but the care that was taken over the preparation of this box, and the verification marks on the weight, are ample evidence of the importance that nonetheless attached to maintaining proper standards.
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