THE COIN COLLECTOR - World eBook Library

UNITED KINGDOM
the silver underwent very slight alteration either for
England or Ireland, and until recent times the coins
of the three Edwards remained undistinguished. The
Irish money of Edward I. and II. equally reads Edw.
The feeling for a higher denomination than the ex-
isting unit seems to have sprung from the introduction
of the gros toumohs into France about 1248, but the
project was not carried out till the reign of Edward
III., although a trial-piece of the new type is some-
times ascribed to his predecessor on the throne. The
former prince has the honour of being associated with
the second attempt, which equally failed, to establish
a gold coinage in emulation of those which had now
for some time been in use on the Continent ; in 1343
florins, half-florins, and quarter-florins were issued to
pass for 6s., 3s., and Is. 6d. respectively; they were of
fine gold, and 50 florins were to be made out of the
pound Tower. In the same year these pieces were
withdrawn, and were superseded by the noble, half-
noble, and quarter, current for 6s. 8d., 3s. 4d., and
Is. 8d., the half not appearing till 1346. All these
monetary enterprises suffered from a single disadvan-
tage, inasmuch as the standard was superior to that
elsewhere employed, and they were exchanged and ex-
ported. To the reduction of Calais by the English we
owe, a few years after this important numismatic era,
the commencement of the long-lived Anglo-Gallic series
in gold, silver, and billon, among which occur some of
the most beautiful and artistic examples of early cur-
rency connected with the country. The salute (Toi* and
171