Florin - Juan I

Juan I of Aragon inherited the Crown of Aragon in 1387 and continued the Valencian florin tradition established under his predecessors, closely modeling the coin on the Florentine florin that had dominated Mediterranean trade since the 13th century. Valencia's commercial weight in the western Mediterranean made a locally struck gold florin a practical necessity rather than a prestige gesture — Valencian merchants needed specie that would pass without discount in Italian and North African markets.

Juan's reign was marked by chronic fiscal pressure, partly driven by his extravagant court and costly patronage of the arts. Cru. 471 sits within a series where die workmanship varies noticeably across the period.