Genoa, Florence and the Mediterranean: New Perspectives on the Return to Gold in the 13th Century

1252 is known as the date for the return to gold in Western Europe: in that year Genoa and Florence began to produce their gold coins, opening a new era in Western European monetary history. African, Islamic, Byzantine, Crusader gold coins, however, never ceased to circulate within the Mediterranean. By considering all possible connections between East and West, this article provides new insights on long-debated problems related to the 13th century ‘back to gold’, namely the chronology and the identification of the first Genoese gold coins, and the rise of the gold florin of Florence.