Hazards of Hookers and Problems with Prostitutes

[Staffan]

Actually, based on the weight and sizes listed in the PHB, it's not even close. They're more like tin with a bit of gold paint dabbed on them.

They have a real-size illo of a gp, that's an inch across, and they are supposedly 50/lb. In pure gold, they'd have to be a fraction of an inch thin.

I'm gonna go with a couple of approximations here, and see where it gets me.
First, one pound is about half a kilogram. So, 50 coins = 0.5 kg.
Gold has a density of about 20 kg per dm³, or 0.02 kg per cm³.
0.5 kg divided by 0.02 kg/cm³ = 25 cm³
The volume V of a cylinder is equal to pi*r²*h (radius and height), which means that the height is equal to V/(pi*r²). The radius of a gold coin as given in the PHB is half an inch = 1.25 cm
h = 25/(pi*1.25²) = 5 cm (rounded off)
Since that's for a stack of 50 coins, we get that the thickness (height) of one coin is 1 mm (1/25 inch).

If we instead assume that the description of a coin in the PHB is off, and that the diameter is half an inch (giving us a quarter of an inch in radius), the height/thickness will be quadrupled, giving us 4 mm (or 1/6 inch).

 

[megamania]

To borrow from the rap groups of the eighties-

"How much do I get for a dollar?"

"Anything"

"Anything?"

"Anything- but is it a pure gold coin or a golden alloy?"

 

[Belen]

OK, one thing - it assumes you're looking at "Medieval fantasy" with the same economic eye as "Medieval History", which may not be the case. If you were doing that, you'd be on a silver standard (first).

Actually, D&D is on the silver standard. If I remember correctly, the gold standard only applies to adventures because they need the extra money to pay for things like healing and magical items.

In a previous campaign, I used a different standard and had several currencies above the current level. The "normal" coins were called pennies:

Penny
Copper
Silver= 10 copper pennies
Gold= 10 silver pennies

Marks
Silver= 10 gold pennies

Monarch
Gold= 10 silver marks

Sun
Platinum= 10 gold monarchs

Normal people used the pennies which were mostly cheaper alloys. The marks, monarchs, and suns were more pure and were adopted by the super wealthy such as nobles, high end merchants etc and applied to things such as magic items etc. This allowed for a less=more approach and made it so that the adventures did not have to carry around so MUCH coinage.

It worked out well.

 

[Rel]

I never thought I'd be saying this guys, but...

There is entirely too much numismatics going on in my thread about whores!


(Actually feel free to continue the coinage discussion. I just figured I'd seize on the once in a lifetime chance to use that sentence.)

 

[Henry]

Hey - can't have whores without goodies.

I've been waiting to use that one, too.

 

[megamania]

 

[Khayman]

You know, those numbers don't make a lick of sense to me-- one night with a prostitute should not cost nearly as much as a suit of magical plate mail. (...)QUOTE]

Somebody tell that to this man.