Nonstandard Coins?

[howandwhy99]

Any solid material in the campaign world is up for being a coin. That includes non-metallic substances like varieties of rock, clay, flesh, bone, and plant matter. Though most of these don't hold up too well to continual use.

I still have an affinity for Gygax's Greyhawk system, from The City of Hawks I think. Platinum, gold, electrum (silver+gold), silver, copper, brass, bronze, and iron.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Hmmm... now I have the idea of a mage creating entirely new magic spells based on amber.

FYI: amber is very flammable.

 

[Jhaelen]

Um, "Amber"? Really? This seems like a stretch to be a coin. Yes, I know Amber was actually used as currency/trade goods, but are you suggesting disk-sized pieces of fossilized resin in everyday use?

Why do they have to be disk-sized? (what is disk-sized, btw.?)

I recently noticed that the Latin name for amber is actually 'electrum'. So, yes, amber coins make exactly as much sense as electrum coins

 

[TarionzCousin]

Why do they have to be disk-sized? (what is disk-sized, btw.?)

It's exactly like "disk-shaped" and "coin-shaped" only different.

 

[Diamond Cross]

FYI: amber is very flammable.

Huh, thanks.

what is disk-sized, btw

Well, for my games the coins would be roughly the size and wieght of a dime. According to the wiki a dime is


Mass 2.268 g (0.0729 troy oz) Diameter 17.91 mm (0.705 in) Thickness 1.35 mm (0.053 in) Edge 118 reeds

But there are no standard sizes for coins. In D&D 1st Edition there were ten coins to the pound, which meant that each coin weighed roughly 1.2 troy ounces since there are 12 troy ounces in a pound for precious metals such as gold and silver.

But for those curious, there does indeed seem to be electrum coins. Here's the wiki on them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrum

 

[Orius]

I've always just used the standard copper- silver- gold exchange im my games because it was the easiest thing to do. Electrum and platinum pieces got converted to silver and gold, since prices were never listed in either currency. In 3e, I continued to do the same for pp, but I didn't notice the exchange rate was changed from 5 gp = 1 pp to 10 gp = 1 pp, so I just continued to use the old exchange rate. As a result, my players' PC's got gypped. I thought it was kind of funny when I first realized that I messed up the exchange rate, but that's the sort of thing only a DM would find amusing.

 

[the Jester]

I use electrum too- in fact, an old kingdom put a pc's face on their electrum pieces, so they are usually referred to as "Drelvins", named after Drelvin the Archer.

I like to use weird coins as treasure; it's a little harder to get the full value out of them, but it leads to cool npcs, adventure hooks, etc. In addition to electrum I've used:

-Mithral pieces (going way back to 1e; usually worth about 10,000 gp)
-Local currencies (usually, the coins are worth more than their "value by weight" but only in the locale they are minted for)
-Older coins (in 2e and earlier, coins weighed 1/10 lb; in 3e and later, it's 1/50. Therefore, older coins are worth more by virtue of having more precious metal in them, but might be overvalued at 5 x normal, since they are usually debased).
-Some cultures use other things than metal- shells, beads or even paper marks of credit.
-Of course, there are always trade bars.

 

[Marx420]

Set,
I must say that your orichalum currency is a very interesting idea, and I'll probably phase out the 100gp platinum for it (send plat back to 10gp a piece). In my own games I have ruled that direct expenditure of wealth is equivalent to a certain amount of experience (ale and whores) or magical power (forget the exact proportions), but that magic power was derived solely from gold (one of the most magically reactive substances known, and the basis for most permanent magics). I have standardized coinage due to the intervention of the lesser draconic deity Walua who is granted enough power by the current pantheon to continue his magical minting service but not restore his portfolio (any appropriate amount of precious metal upon which the coin rune is inscribed form into coins of perfect sheen and weight, also works for trade bars). This orichalum seems to fit a nice niche above gold, as it is dangerous to carry large amounts of gold since it can be ignited by magic and thereby utilized as crude magical fuel for desperate mages or a strange diversion for others (a free range gold burn emanates wild magic). Have you by any chance played the old lucas arts adventure game Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis? In that game they utilized orichalum much to the same affect to power their ancient machinery (golems and other cool stuff) though eventually it's power warped them into monsters.

 

[Achan hiArusa]

Real World Values

0.01 Libra (which could be represented by platinum coin, if you wish) = 1 Golden Solidii = 12 Electrum Triens = 24 Silver Denarii = 7,200 Copper pentanummi

I just mix Runequest and D&D and use a silver standard (book prices move down a step gold -> silver -> copper -> lead):

1 platinum piece = 10 gold pieces = 100 electrum pieces = 1000 silver pieces = 10,000 copper pieces = 100,000 lead bits

 

[Jhaelen]

I've always just used the standard copper- silver- gold exchange im my games because it was the easiest thing to do. Electrum and platinum pieces got converted to silver and gold, since prices were never listed in either currency.

I got rid of them by changing the exchange rates to 1gp = 100sp and 1sp = 100cp

Set,
I must say that your orichalum currency is a very interesting idea, and I'll probably phase out the 100gp platinum for it (send plat back to 10gp a piece).

Orichalcum coins originate in the Earthdawn setting. They're rarely used in common commercial transactions, though. They are used in rituals, etc.
There are also elemental coins (earth, water, air, fire, and wood) in Earthdawn that contain a kernel of a True Element that gives the coins some of the element's properties (e.g. fire coins are always warm, air coins can float a couple of millimetres, etc.).