The quarter florin or helm was an attempt by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

King Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ro ...

to produce a gold coinage suitable for use in Europe as well as in England (see also double leopard and

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia ...

). The Helm, based on contemporary European

gold coin A gold coin is a coin that is made mostly or entirely of gold. Most gold coins minted since 1800 are 90–92% gold (22 karat), while most of today's gold bullion coins are pure gold, such as the Britannia, Canadian Maple Leaf, and American Bu ...

s had a value of one shilling and sixpence. However, the gold used to strike the coins was overvalued, resulting in the coins being unacceptable to the public, and the coins were withdrawn after only seven months in circulation, and eventually demonetised in August 1344, to be melted down to produce the more popular gold Noble. The obverse of the coin shows the royal helmet surmounted by a lion and cap; the legend is EDWR R ANGL Z FRANC D HIB (Edward King of England and France Lord of Ireland). The reverse of the coin shows a floriated cross with a

quatrefoil A quatrefoil (anciently caterfoil) is a decorative element consisting of a symmetrical shape which forms the overall outline of four partially overlapping circles of the same diameter. It is found in art, architecture, heraldry and traditional ...

in the centre; the legend is EXALTABITUR IN GLORIA ("He shall be exalted in glory",

Psalm 112 Psalm 112 is the 112th psalm of the biblical Book of Psalms, a psalm "in praise of the virtuous". This psalm, along with Psalm 111, is acrostic by phrase, that is, each 7-9 syllable phrase begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order. Psal ...

:9). In 2015, an example was found in Colyton, Devon. It was sold for £50,000.

References

Coins of medieval England English gold coins {{coin-stub