Are gold coins universal?

[interwyrm]

I started up a setting where there were a couple things different, like, no gold, no horses. Currency was made from ceramics. The players still called them gp.

 

[philreed]

I would think the gold value is the same but flashing coins from an enemy nation could result in some interesting times. Such as if the country you are in states that coins from other nations are illegal -- no better way to expand the treasury than to seize illegal coin, melt it down, and create gold bricks for trade with other nations.

 

[diaglo]

as is minting your own coins or finding counterfeit coins a good adventure hook.

substituting a lesser value but just as heavy metal like lead... with a gold facade and passing them off as normal gold coins.

 

[jasper]

as is minting your own coins or finding counterfeit coins a good adventure hook.

substituting a lesser value but just as heavy metal like lead... with a gold facade and passing them off as normal gold coins.

Minting coins could be done either by a black smith (who knows alloys) or jeweler.
Stamping coins is very easy process. Casting coins even easier but more time consuming on remaking the dies each time. I would let either one do it if they had 5 ranks in their craft skill.

 

[diaglo]

Minting coins could be done either by a black smith (who knows alloys) or jeweler.
Stamping coins is very easy process. Casting coins even easier but more time consuming on remaking the dies each time. I would let either one do it if they had 5 ranks in their craft skill.

go see if you can find spoiler to follow

Spoiler

Return to the Keep on the Borderlands for 2edADnD 25th anniversary edition. the smith and a few of his buddies in the Keep did a little of this

 

[painandgreed]

Minting coins could be done either by a black smith (who knows alloys) or jeweler.
Stamping coins is very easy process. Casting coins even easier but more time consuming on remaking the dies each time. I would let either one do it if they had 5 ranks in their craft skill.

Minting coins is easy, after all, if you're just dealing in the raw wieght of gold, you don't even have to mint them. You could just make ingots. The trick would be making coins of lesser value either by weight or quality and passing them off as higher. The trouble there is any old coins made by a blacksmith with five ranks are goign to be suspect and checked. Then it's going to be the counterfitter's skill (Forgery? Craft(minting)? Profession(counterfitter)?) versus an Appraise check. To get the past easier, you'd have to duplicate coins from a commonly known and trusted mint meaning duplicating their coins exactly. That would probably take more than just five skill ranks just in the artwork that such a mint would use on their coins.

The Baroque Cycle trilogy by Neal Stephenson deals a great deal with this topic and is a good read.

 

[mythusmage]

Minting coins is easy, after all, if you're just dealing in the raw wieght of gold, you don't even have to mint them. You could just make ingots. The trick would be making coins of lesser value either by weight or quality and passing them off as higher. The trouble there is any old coins made by a blacksmith with five ranks are goign to be suspect and checked. Then it's going to be the counterfitter's skill (Forgery? Craft(minting)? Profession(counterfitter)?) versus an Appraise check. To get the past easier, you'd have to duplicate coins from a commonly known and trusted mint meaning duplicating their coins exactly. That would probably take more than just five skill ranks just in the artwork that such a mint would use on their coins.

The Baroque Cycle trilogy by Neal Stephenson deals a great deal with this topic and is a good read.

In addition, a mint may be known for the alloy they use. Pure gold is soft and can often lose it's shape through normal use. Other metals can be added for durability, but this lowers carat and changes the color. So one mint could produce 20 carat cold coins using one mix, while another produces 20 carat gold coins using another. Same amount of gold per coin, but using A is the wrong color if you're trying to counterfeit B.

Then you have the press used to produce the coins. Even an ogre swinging a hammer is not going to produce the same look as a 500 pound weight dropping 10 feet square on the coin blank.

 

[jasper]

In addition, a mint may be known for the alloy they use. Pure gold is soft and can often lose it's shape through normal use. Other metals can be added for durability, but this lowers carat and changes the color. So one mint could produce 20 carat cold coins using one mix, while another produces 20 carat gold coins using another. Same amount of gold per coin, but using A is the wrong color if you're trying to counterfeit B.

Then you have the press used to produce the coins. Even an ogre swinging a hammer is not going to produce the same look as a 500 pound weight dropping 10 feet square on the coin blank.

and most minter used either 3 pd hammer to 6 pd hammer on two men operations.
Most medieval coins are punched work. All you need is two round rods a little wide in diameter than the coin. Smooth and polish one face. You can do this both hot and cold forging. Punch you design in. Regular punch shapes l, triangle , C, dot and O. You will need both small and big punch.
Stick one rod in hole in a stump or have that piece be shaped like huge nail.
Smelt your alloy. Medieval moneyers were doing this as far back as 993 and getting away with being good enough one king pass a law that any minter or moneyers who pennies were short weighted lost the right hand. Ouch. Pour your liquid metal into molds. Occassionally run through a rolling mill. Punch a flan (blank) after it cools. Place between dies smack with hammer. Trim down. Repeat.
Look at the following for more information
Coin craft’s English and UK coins 1066 to Date www.coincraft.com
America’s Money America’s story by Richard Doty.
Coins and minting by Denis Cooper note shire album version is abridge version of his original book The Art and craft of coin making: a history of minting technology