Florin (Irish coin) Florin (Irish coin) The florin (2s) () coin was a subdivision of the pre-decimal Irish pound, worth of a pound. It was more commonly known as the two-shilling coin. The original minting of the coin from 1928 until 1943 contained 75% silver, a higher content than the equivalent British coin. It is believed that this was done so that the new currency would not be seen as a poor substitute to the British currency which circulated alongside. The silver coins are quite noticeable as they have a more "whitish" look than the later cupronickel variety that were minted from 1951,
Halfpenny (Irish decimal coin) so a sixpence (half of a shilling) yielded a value of new pence. Its dimensions and appearance were the same as the British coin of the same denomination as the pounds of Britain and Ireland were pegged until 1979. The coin was designed by the Irish artist Gabriel Hayes and the design is adapted from the manuscript Cologne Collectio Canonum (Cologne, Dombibliothek Cod. 213) in Cologne. The coin has a diameter of 1.7145 centimetres and mass of 1.782 grams consisting of copper, tin and zinc. The coin was worth of an Irish pound. The 1985 version of this coin is