Interresting thing about medieval coins I just read

[Treebore]

Assuming dogbrain's summary is correct, I can't see how Roman coinage can be considered the basis of the D&D coin system any more than American coinage or a bunch of others. What specifically do you think are the similarities between Roman and D&D coinage that makes this comparison stand apart from others?

Like I said in my initial post, something that was stated in Dragon magazine in the early 80's, then reprinted in a "Best of Dragon" anthology. Number 4 or 5 I believe. The only similarity I see is that they use copper, silver, and gold coins. Don't know why electrum was ever used. Platinum was apparently a logical progression, especially with how valuable it was in the early 80's.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The easy solution to all of this is to make your characters so poor, they have to use the barter system.

"COINS? What, do you think you're a member of the landed gentry? Now, you have two chickens and a pig with a bad leg for starting money. Let me know when you've bought your club and wide stick you'll be using for a shield."

 

[Staffan]

Would the metal content of each coin be enough to justify the values given?

If you check the trade goods price list, you'll see that one pound of gold costs 50 gp, one pound of silver 5 gp, and one pound of copper 5 sp. In other words, 50 coins = 1 lb.

 

[diaglo]

DnD is 50 per pound, which makes sense in a world where gold is more common. Tiny tinfoil coins are hard to manage.

and D&D is 10 coins to the pound.

 

[jasper]

You can do coins three ways
1. light game play 50 to pound all same size
2. different size coins you firgure out the size of coins to equal 50 to pound
3. real size and different kingdom coinage in which case i urge you to check out
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

 

[Vaxalon]

and D&D is 10 coins to the pound.

Look again.

 

[diaglo]

Look again.

that's not D&D. that's d02 you are playing.

edit: they changed it during the 2edADnD days so that powermunchkins could haul more loot out of the monty haul dungeons.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Look again.

D'oh! He fell for diaglo's cunningly laid "edition" trap.




Eric Anondson (Diaglo is a wily one)

 

[aurance]

and D&D is 10 coins to the pound.

I remember that. Those were some fat coins. Bling bling.

 

[Dogbrain]

There is one BIG problem with your technical accuracy dogbrain, I didn't technically say they used the roman coin system. I said they used it for the basis of the D&D coin system. Using it as the basis no way infers it was an exact copy of the original, just the inspiration for how they did it in 1E and 2E D&D.

You're only digging your hole deeper. In first edition AD&D, all coins were 1.6 ounces in weight. That's right, TEN TO A POUND. Go get your 1st edition rulebooks and check. Second, what SPECIFICALLY UNIQUE TRAITS of the Roman system that is not found in medieval systems were used as the bases for the first edition (ten to a pound) AD&D coins, as you so claim?