Banking in D&D?

[DizzyKungFu]

One of my players has expressed interest in banking services. I use the Greyhawk campaign setting. Obviously, medieval banking wouldn't be like modern banking (if it existed at all). Has anyone used anything like this in their games or know anything about history that could help me out? Thanks!

 

[Drawmack]

I know in colonial times it was dome something like this.

You would take your precious metals & gems to a broker (who was usually also a smith because they know the value of such things). This broker would then issue you a paper writ stating how much wealth you had in store with them and this writ could then be used as money.

However, brokers rarely recognized each others writs and if they did it was never for full value. So this is only good for localized usage.

IMC I use churches. I have a LG church set up that acts as the backing institution of the world. I generally choose a god whose domains include law and good. Mordadin (sp.) would be a good choice as the dwarves like to horde valuables anyway, this could also lead to it being much harder to get money out then it is to put money in.

For the proof of identifycation I make it work like a cashiers check. He who holds the writ gets the money.

 

[Crothian]

Here's another thread that might be of help

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38390

 

[Azure Trance]

I read somewhere that the first banks started with Goldsmiths. People who had a large amount of gold didnt want to move such a large amount (IIRC a gold ducat was the size of a v. thick dime - imagine how much hundreds of them would weigh) for transactions, and thus left it at the Goldsmiths for safekeeping. Goldsmith would issue a writ, and instead of lugging all that gold around for, say, a large business transaction, a write would be given instead with the gold staying where it always was.

 

[Sagan Darkside]

Has anyone used anything like this in their games or know anything about history that could help me out?

I was just thinking about this for a new campeign I am putting together. My current thoughts is the Abjurer wizard guild runs the only non-local bank. They have developed spells protect investments and trade the secure knowledge with other branchs.

They sometimes make loans, but mostly they used the money to create magic items which they then sell. The interest on the investments comes from the profit.

SD