The History of Currency, 1252 to 1896

by William Arthur Shaw

TABLE OF THE SILVER COINS STRUCK IN FLORENCE, 1252-1534.

Year.	Denomination.	Standard.				Weight of each Piece.	Fine Silver in each Piece.	Tale per Mark minted.	Tale per Mark issued to the Merchant.	Value at which Circulated.
		Silver.		Alloy.
		Oz.	Gr.	Oz.	Gr.	Grains.	Grains.			Soldi.	Den.
1252	Fiorino d'argento	...		...		43 1⁄5	...	160	...	1	0
										(of the gold florin.)
1280	Do.	11	15	0	9	45 3⁄4	45 1⁄4	151	...	1	8
1296	Soldi grossi	11	15	0	9	40 9⁄19	39 3⁄19	171	167	2	0
1305	Grossi popolini	11	12	0	12	40 9⁄19	38 3⁄4	171	...	2	0
		(= Argento popolino.)
1314	Guelfi del fiore (Half and quarter of same.)	11	12	0	12	41 5⁄8	39 7⁄8	166	163	2	6
1345	Nuovi Guelfi	11	12	0	12	51 7⁄12	49 5⁄12	134	132	4	0
(Aug. 19)										(of the piccioli.)
1345 (Aug. 23)	Grossi Guelfi	11	12	0	12	52 4⁄11	50 2⁄11	132	...	4	0
1345 (Oct. 23)	Grossi Guelfi	11	12	0	12	48 2⁄3	46 5⁄8	142	140	4	0
1347	Guelfi grossi	11	12	0	12	59 1⁄13	56 8⁄13	117	111 2⁄3	5	0
1368	Popolini	11	12	0	12	23 1⁄25	22 2⁄25	300		2	0
1390	Grossi	11	12	0	12	56 8⁄41	53 35⁄41	123		5	6
										(piccioli.)
1402	Grossi	11	12	0	12	52 4⁄11	50 2⁄11	132	130	5	6
1448	Grossi	11	12	0	12					5	4
1460	Grossoni	11	12	0	12	54	51 3⁄4	128	125 2⁄3	6	8
1471	Grossi	11	12	0	12	49 1⁄47	46 38⁄47	141	138	6	8
1481	Grossoni	11	12	0	12	47 1⁄49	45 3⁄49	147	143	6	8
1489	Grossi	11	12	0	12	47 1⁄49	45 3⁄49	147	144	6	8
1503	Grossoni	11	12	0	12	40 1⁄2	38 19⁄24	170 2⁄3	166 2⁄3	7	0
1503	Grossoni	11	12	0	12	71 72⁄345	68 76⁄145	96 2⁄3	94 1⁄3	10	0
										(bianchi.)
										13	4
										(neri.)
1504	Carolino or barile	11	12	0	12	71 73⁄145	68 76⁄145	96 2⁄3	94 1⁄3	10	0
										(bianchi.)
1506	Grossoni	11	12	0	12	39 165⁄173	38 50⁄173	173	169	7	0
1508	Grossoni	11	12	0	12	39 201⁄347	38 62⁄347	173 1⁄2	169	7	0
1508	Grossetti	11	12	0	12	28 268⁄731	27 135⁄731	243 2⁄3	237 2⁄3	4	0
										(bianchi.)
										5	0
										(neri.)
1524	Barili	11	12	0	12	68 1⁄4	65 13⁄32	101 1⁄4	99	13	4
	(The half-barile and the teston (= 3 barili) in proportion.)
1531	Grossi	11	12	0	12	38	36 5⁄12	181 17⁄19	...	7	0
1531	Barili	11	12	0	12	70	67 1⁄12	98 46⁄35	...	10	0
										(bianchi.)
										13	4
										(neri.)
1531	Quinto di Ducato	11	12	0	12	152	145 2⁄3	45 9⁄19	...	30	0
										(piccioli.)

TABLE OF THE GOLD COINS OF FLORENCE, 1252-1534.

(From Zanetti, i. 439.)

Year.		Denomination.		Standard.	Weight.	Tale per Mark.	Value at which circulated.
				Karati.	Grains.		Soldi.	Den.
1252		Fiorino d'oro		24	72	96	20	0
1275		Do.		24	72	96	30	0
1282		Do.		24	72	96	32	0
1286		Do.		24	72	96	36	0
1296		Do.		24	72	96	40	0
1302		Do.		24	72	96	51	0
1321		Fiorino of the first suggello (5 per cent. advantage)		24	69	100	...
1324		Fiorino of the second surgely		24	70 1⁄2	98 1⁄4	60	0
1328		Fiorino stretti		24	70 1⁄2	98 1⁄4	66	1
1331		Do.		24	70 1⁄2	98 1⁄4	60	0
1345		Fiorini of the third surgely (5 per cent. advantage)		24	70 1⁄2	98 1⁄4	62	0
1347		Do.	do.	24	70 1⁄2	98 1⁄4	68	0
1352		Do.	do.	...	...	...	67	6
1353		Do.	do.	...	...	...	68	6
1356		Do.	do.	...	...	...	70	0
1375		Fiorino nuovo		24	71 3⁄5	96 2⁄5	70	0
1378		Do.		...	...	...	68	0
1380		Fiorino nuovastro		...	...	...	70	0
1402		Fiorino nuovo of the fifth suggello (6 1⁄4 per cent. advantage)		24	68	101 11⁄117	73	4
1422		Fiorino nuovissimo or largo di Galea		24	71 3⁄5	96 2⁄5	80	0
1442		Fiorino largo		24	72	96	...
		Fiorino of the sixth suggello (10 per cent. advantage)		24	72	96	...
		Fiorino stretto di Camera of the seventh suggello (7 per cent. advantage)		24	69 1⁄8	100	...
1448		Fiorino of the eighth suggello (4 per cent. advantage)		24	...	...	85	0
1460		Fiorino of the ninth suggello (7 per cent. advantage)		24	71 6⁄7	96 1⁄3	86	8
1462		Fiorino (of Pisan weight)		24	71 6⁄7	96 1⁄2	87	0
1464		Fiorino largo (20 per cent. better than the fiorino di suggello)		24	72	96	106	0
1471		Do.	do.	24	72	96	108	0
1480		Do.	do.	24	72	96	111	0
1485		Do.	do.	24	72	96	111	4
1501		Fiorino d'oro largo in oro (19 per cent. advantage on the fiorino largo)		24	72	96	140	0
							(neri.)
							111	4
							(grossi.)
1508		Do.	do.	24	72	96	142	0
							(neri.)
1531	}	Ducato d'oro		24	72	96	150	8
1534							(piccioli.)

TABLE OF THE BILLON MONEY (MONETA NERA OR EROSA) STRUCK IN FLORENCE, 1300-1534.

Year.	Denomination.	Standard.				Weight of each Piece.	Fine Silver in each Piece.	Tale per Mark coined	Tale per Mark issued to the Merchant	Value at which Circulated.
		Silver.		Copper.
		Oz.	Gr.	Oz.	Gr.	Grains.	Grains.			Denari
1316	Fiorin da sei	1	0	11	0	...	...	...	...	6
1321[E]	Fiorini neri	1	0	11	0	12 4⁄5	1 1⁄15	540	...	1
1325	Piccioli	1	0	11	0	12 4⁄5	1 1⁄15	540	444	1
1332	Quattrini lanajuoli	2	0	10	0	26 1⁄2	4 5⁄12	261	240	4
1337 (July 19)	Quattrini	2	0	10	0	21 45⁄327	3 11⁄24	327	301	4
1337 (July 28)	Do.	2	0	10	0	21 3⁄4	3 5⁄8	318	297	4
1366	Piccioli neri	1	0	11	0	8 1⁄4	2⁄3	840	660	1
1371	Do.	0	23 1⁄2	11 1⁄2	0	8	5⁄8	864	708	1
	Quattrini	2	0	10	0	18 5⁄12	3 1⁄12	375	370	4
1417	Piccioli neri	1	0	11	0	6 78⁄83	7⁄12	996	...	1
1432	Quattrini	2	0	10	0	18 5⁄12	3 1⁄12	375	...	4
1462	Soldini	6	0	6	0	15	7 1⁄2	460	446	12
1471	Quattrini	2	0	10	0	26 42⁄87	4 5⁄12	261	240	4
	Soldini	6	0	6	0	13 2⁄3	6 5⁄6	505	483	12
	Piccioli neri	1	0	11	0	...	...	...	...	1
1472	Quattrini	1	12	10	12	16 1⁄2	2 1⁄24	420	366	4
	Piccioli	0	6	11	18	8	1⁄6	864	252	1
1490	Quattrini bianchi[F]	2	0	10	0	16	2 2⁄3	432	...	4
	Quattrini	1	0	11	0	14 7⁄8	1 1⁄4	465	...	4
1509	Do.	1	0	11	0	16 5⁄12	1 1⁄3	420	...	4
1512	Crazie	...		...		...	...	...	...

[E] Beginning of the distinction of white and dark monies (moneta bianca and la nera).