The ‘Godless’ type florin earned its name from the lack of inscription ‘DEI GRATIA’, meaning ‘by the grace of God’. This was controversial at the time, and the inscription was added to the florin the next year, making this a one-year issue variant. 

The obverse of the ‘Godless’ florin features a beautifully detailed design by William Wyon RA. His signature WW appears on the right-hand side of the design but has been nearly obliterated by the rim of the coin’s inner circle. The inscription on the obverse of the coin reads ‘VICTORIA REGINA’. 

The reverse of the coin shows crowned cruciform shields, with emblems at alternate angles, and a rose at the centre. The denomination legend reads ‘ONE FLORIN’ across the top of the coin and ‘ONE TENTH OF A POUND’ along the bottom portion of the coin. 

Although decimalisation wasn’t implemented in Britain until the twentieth century, the florin was an early attempt at introducing a decimal currency, as the coin had a value worth a tenth of a pound.