The gold florin took its name from Florence, where it was first minted in 1252. The coin quickly became a staple of international currency. France and England soon issued similar gold coins. By the 19th century silver had become the predominant material for coinage, but gold coins based on the florin continued to be produced in Europe, notably the Dutch guilder. ‘Rhenish guilders’ were widely minted in Cologne, Mainz, Trier, and the Palatinate from the 14th century on. Rhenish gold guilders were a standard of the German monetary system until modern times. The above coin is a Rhenish guilder minted in Mainz around 1400.

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