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From top to bottom: copper, silver, gold, electrum, and platinum pieces.[1]
When bartering for goods and services no longer met the needs of commerce, the sentient beings of the Realms turned to using items with a more universal value, namely precious metals, gems, and some minerals. Metals were rarely found in their pure form in nature and required significant energy and effort to refine and purify. In general, the rarity and the amount of effort it took to produce a given metal determined its worth. Sometimes this formula was modified by a particular property of the metal, or by widespread use (and therefore greater demand).
The most common forms of currency in everyday transactions were coins (or "pieces"). Usually, most coins were made of gold, silver, and copper. Less frequently, coins made of platinum, electrum, and even iron were also found. In all cases, the standard for measuring wealth was as the gold piece, even if neither gold or coins were involved in a transaction.[1][2]
A standard gold piece (gp) weighed 0.32 oz (9.07 g), so that 1 lb (454 g) of gold was worth 50 gp.[1]
The penalty for counterfeiting was death in most places, since cities, kingdoms, and nations relied on the acceptance and trust of their currency.[3]
When large sums were involved, it was common for traders to use trade bars, which were valued by weight, instead of coins.[4]
Standard Exchange Rates
The everyday currency of the Realms consisted mainly of coins and trade bars. With few exceptions, the standard currency adopted throughout the Realms made use of platinum, gold, electrum, silver, and copper pieces of equal value, so they could be used interchangeably across different regions, as well as trade bars of standardized weights with fixed conversion rates.[4][5]
The exchange rates between coins of different materials has changed through history, but their relative value across regions remained mostly unaltered.[3]
As of 1357 DR
By the Year of the Prince, standard exchange rates were the following:[3][note 1]
| 1 platinum piece | = 1 platinum |
| = 5 gold | |
| = 10 electrum | |
| = 100 silver | |
| = 1000 copper | |
In that time period, silver and electrum trade bars were available in 10, 25 and 50 gp denominations.[3]
As of 1367 DR
During the Time of Troubles, platinum and gold (and consequently electrum) saw an increase in value with respect to other metals. Around this time, standard exchange rates across the Realms were:[6][7][8][note 2]
| 1 platinum piece | = 1 platinum |
| = 5 gold | |
| = 10 electrum | |
| = 50 silver | |
| = 500 copper | |
Platinum coins were called tricrowns, plats, or pearls (in particular the Southern versions, which were officially named roldons).[8]
In this time period, silver and electrum trade bars in the 10, 25 and 50 gp denominations were still available, as well as bars valued in 500 and 1,000 gp. Trade bars from merchants were thin silver bars marked at one end with the value, and the other end had the symbol of the trading institution or coster which created it. An increasing number of these bars bore the mint mark of Baldur's Gate.[8] Trade bars were always checked by weight.[7]
Trade bars of the Iron Throne trading group were not honored by other trading organizations because this group was considered disreputable. Broken trade bars had no value, but most merchants would continue to honor the trade bars of defunct institutions.[8]
As of 1372 DR
By the Year of Wild Magic, the value of platinum increased and electrum pieces fell in disuse, no longer being commonly found as much as other coins. Around this time, standard exchange rates across the Realms were:[9][10][11][note 3]
| 1 platinum piece | = 1 platinum |
| = 10 gold | |
| = 100 silver | |
| = 1000 copper | |
During this period, Baldur's Gate had consolidated the trade bar standards. This time period also saw the appearance of trade bars made of several different metals, including gold (although those were still rare at the time) and iron (although its value was not standardized outside of Mirabar). Trade bars were most commonly found in 1, 2, 5, and 10 lb weights (0.45, 0.91, 2.27, and 4.54 kg, respectively). Standard values were the following: a 1-lb silver bar was worth 5 gp and a 1-lb gold bar was worth 50 gp.[9]
As of 1479 DR
During the Spellplague, the relative value of coins remained unchanged. Around this time, standard exchange rates across the Realms were:[5][note 4]
| 1 platinum piece | = 1 platinum |
| = 10 gold | |
| = 100 silver | |
| = 1000 copper | |
During this period, trade bars made of gold became increasingly more common and supplanted silver as the weight standard for that form of currency. A one-pound gold trade bar retained its value of 50 gp.[5]
As of 1489 DR
After the Second Sundering, electrum pieces reappeared and were once again seen in trade. The relative values of other coins had remained unchanged for over a century. Around this time, standard exchange rates across the Realms were:[2][1][note 5]
| 1 platinum piece | = 1 platinum |
| = 10 gold | |
| = 50 electrum | |
| = 100 silver | |
| = 1000 copper | |
During this period, silver once again became the standard for trade bar currency. Most common trade bars of this period weighed 5 lb (2.27 kg), measuring 6×2×1 inches (15.2×5.1×2.5 cm) and valued at 25 gp.[2] Trade bars of other materials also existed. A gold bar weighing 1 lb (454 g) was worth 50 gp; the same weight of copper was worth 5 sp; 1 lb of silver was worth 5 gp; and a 1-lb bar of platinum was worth 500 gp.[12]
Coinage Throughout the Realms
Nearly every major city-state and nation in Faerûn had their own denominations and minted their own currency. Not all cities minted every type of coin, however.[2]
The following sections specify the names of the most widely used and accepted currencies across Faerûn and other locations on Toril. Their exchange rates were the standard ones depending on the time period (see previous section), except where noted.
Amn
Amnian-minted denominations were the following:[8][2]
- platinum piece: "roldon"
- gold piece: "danter"
- electrum piece: "centaur"
- silver piece: "taran"
- copper piece: "fander"
Calimshan
By 1357 DR, Calishite-minted denominations were the following:[7]
- platinum piece: "kilarche"
- gold piece: "bicenta"
- electrum piece: "centarche" (as of 1357 DR), "tazo" and "zonth" (as of 1367 DR)
- silver piece: "decarche" (starting from 1357 DR), "espedrille", and "red worm" (as of 1367 DR)
- copper piece: "unarche" (starting from 1357 DR), "rada", "niften", and "spanner" (as of 1367 DR)
By the Time of Troubles, in addition to the previous denominations, the following Calishite-minted coins were also in circulation:[8]
- electrum pieces: "tazo" and "zonth"
- silver pieces: "espedrille" and "red worm"
- copper pieces: "rada", "niften", and "spanner"
Of particular note was the silver-piece-valued ochre-tinted red worm of Memnon. Red worms were cast from silver and then coated with a dye. Old coins with the dye worn off were called "skinned worms".[8]
Chessenta
When this country was a loose confederation of city-states, most had their own currency. In the Year of the Fallen Friends, 1399 DR, the war hero Ishual Karanok unified the currency into one set of coins:[13]
| 1 bebolt | = 1 "bolt" |
| = 4 authokh | |
| = 20 gold "drakes" | |
| = 200 silver "talents" | |
| = 1000 bronze "bits" | |
The bronze "bit" was equivalent to two copper pieces elsewhere.[13]
Cormyr
Since at least 1357 DR, the royal coinage of Cormyr was stamped with a dragon on the obverse and a treasury date mark on the reverse.[3] By 1489 DR, this custom still endured.[4]
Cormyrian-minted denominations were the following:[3][8][2]
- platinum piece: "tricrown"
- gold piece: "lion"
- electrum piece: "blue eye"
- silver piece: "falcon"
- copper piece: "thumb"
Although gold coins, the most common coin used by adventurers, were often called golden lions throughout the Realms, only the Cormyrian coins were actually stamped with the figure of a lion.[8]
Lantan
Trade bars from Lantan were flat envelope-shaped bars of worked steel marked with the great wheel of Gond. They were worth 20gp each and used primarily along the Sword Coast.[8]
Mirabar
Trade bars from (Mirabar) were made of black iron and shaped like rectangular spindels(sic). They were worth 10gp in Mirabar and 5gp in the rest of the Realms.[8]
Sembia
The Sembian silver piece was triangular-shaped.
Sembia produced no platinum coins but readily accepted those of other nations. By the Time of Troubles, Sembian-minted coins were the following:[8]
- electrum piece: "blue eye" (diamond-shaped)
- silver piece: "hawk (coin)"
- iron "steelpence", valued at 1 copper piece
Sembian silver hawks were triangular in shape. Cormyrian falcons and Sembian hawks were used interchangeably. Sembian gold coin designs varied from year to year but were always a distinguishing five-sided shape.[8]
The steelpence was introduced by the Sembian government to replace the silver piece, but it was overproduced and its value had since dropped to 1 cp.[8]
By 1357 DR, Sembia still minted the square-shaped steelpence, but no longer minted hawks or electrum blue eyes. The usual foreign copper pieces were also accepted throughout the city. In addition, Sembian-minted coins at this time were the following:[9]
Trade bars from Sembia were ingot-shaped silver bars dotted with copper and the Sembian symbol. They were considered "face value" and, besides the usual 10, 25, and 50 gp denominations of this period, trade bars valued 5 gp could also be found.[8]
After the Second Sundering, Sembia resumed minting electrum blue eyes and calling their triangular silver pieces "hawks". Steelpence and gold nobles were also still in circulation at this time.[2]
Shaar
Shaar Rings were made of sliced and bored ivory and hung on long strings by the plainsmen of Shaar. Rings were found in bundles, and each ring was worth 3gp each.[8]
Shou Lung
Shou Lung copper was any copper coin which was not immediately recognizable, and therefore declared to come from the mystical East and given a value of 1 cp. Only a small number of these coins actually came from Shou Lung, or any of the Kara-Tur nations, but the name stuck. Shou Lung silver was similar: any unknown or badly worn silver coin given a value of 1 sp.[9]
Trade bars from Shou Lung were slender bars of silver, definitely oriental in origin, that had made their way to the West. Shou Lung trade bars were worth about 40 gp each.[8]
Silverymoon
The eclipsed moon from Silverymoon, the waterdhavian pierced harbor moon, and Sembian triangular hawks.
Silvaeren-minted coins were the following:[2]
- platinum piece: "unicorn"
- gold piece: "dragon"
- electrum piece: "sword"
- silver piece: "shield"
- copper piece: "glint"
In addition to these coins, Silverymoon also minted the crescent-shaped electrum "moon", whose value increased substantially over time, but was always worth less outside of the Silver Marches. During the Time of Troubles one moon was worth 2 ep in the Silver Marches and 1 ep elsewhere.[8][14] By 1372 DR, it was valued at 2 gp within the Silver Marches.[15] After the Second Sundering, the moon was valued at 2 unicorns (or 1 unicorn outside of Silverymoon). During this same period, Silverymoon also minted the round "eclipsed moon", rated at 5 unicorns in Silverymoon and 2 unicorns elsewhere.[2]
Tethyr
Due to upheaval in Tethyr during the Interregnum period, Tethyan gulders, moelans, myrats, and zonths were only worth between 60% and 90% of their usual value.[8]
Tethyr made use of two-gold-piece coins called "brakar". They also produced trade rings in 20-, 50-, and 100-gold-piece weights.[16]
Waterdeep
Gold, knowledge and ale: the currency and merchandise traded at the Yawning Portal in Waterdeep.
Waterdhavian-minted coins were the following:[17][2]
- platinum piece: "sun"
- gold piece: "dragons"
- electrum piece: "sambar"
- silver piece: "shard"
- copper piece: "nib"
Like Silverymoon, Waterdeep also minted two special coins. The square brass "taol", or "taol", was worth 2 dragons, but had no value elsewhere,[8][17] so they were usually exchanged when one left the city. The palm-sized crescent-shaped platinum "harbor moon", inset with electrum, was rated 50 dragons in the city, but much less everywhere else. During the Time of Troubles a harbor moon was worth only 2 gp outside of Waterdeep,[8] but this value increased to 30 dragons after the Second Sundering. Both coins had holes to allow them to be stacked in strings.[2]
Zakhara
Zakharan-minted coins were the following:[18]
Zhentil Keep
Instead of referring to the coins by their material, most people would call them by their original government-issued name, except for the ones minted at Zhentil Keep.
Zhentil Keep minted the following coins:[2]
- platonum piece: "platinum glory", popularly known as "flat metal gem"
- gold piece: "glories", popularly known as "weeping wolf"
- electrum piece: "tarenth", popularly known as "hardhammer"
- silver piece: "talon", or "naal", popularly known as "flea-bit"
- copper piece: "fang", popularly known as "dung-piece"
Other Forms of Currency
Gems
Gems were even rarer than metals and required great skill in mining, cutting, and polishing. Gems had great value because people desired them for their beauty and often wore them in jewelry. The arcane Arts also required certain gems as spell components, which increased their rarity even more, as they were consumed in the casting of powerful spells.[19]
Gond Bells
Gond bells were introduced by the Lantanese and used in regions of the North, in particular in trade between worshipers of Gond. The small brass bells enclosed a loose ornamental stone which caused it to clatter. Each was worth 10gp on the open market or 20gp if traded to a church of Gond.[8][17]
Tharsult Statues
Tharsult Statues were small art objects used in trade. They were made of ivory, jade, or serpentine and were used as coinage in that region. Most of these that reached the North were treated as curios and were worth around 15 gp. In their native land they were worth about 5 gp each.[8]
Paper Currency
Mercenary Cards were small cards of parchment about the size of a Talis card, marked on one side with the symbol of a particular mercenary company. The reverse was usually a handwritten scrawl from the troop's paymaster authorizing payment. These became currency by being found in loot caches, won in card games, or stolen from the unwary.[8]
Blood notes were scrolls, letters, or other carvings representing I.O.U.s and promissory notes from the listed person(s) to the holder of the note. They were so called because they must be signed in blood by all parties involved and taken to the local Lord for the affixing of the royal seal.[3] Blood notes could be offered by individuals, adventuring companies, or countries and cities to cover debts. In common usage the debtor was legally obligated to pay when the note was presented. Blood notes from deceased individuals were not binding.[8]
Bela was paper money used by barbarian tribes to the east in Kara-Tur. In western Realms it was worthless and occasionally offered as an insult.[8]
A Letter of Trade was similar to a Blood Note and called for a delivery of a particular item or items to the bearer.
Appendix
Notes
- ↑ The year 1357 DR corresponds to the "present" in p. 6 of the 1st-edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Set.
- ↑ The year 1367 DR corresponds to the "present" in p. 23 of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised).
- ↑ The year 1372 DR corresponds to the "present" in p. 78 of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. The 3.5-edition Player's Guide to Faerûn fixes the present date at 1373 DR in p. 166.
- ↑ The year 1479 DR is set as the "present" in p. 42 of the 4th-edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide.
- ↑ The 5th-edition Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide doe not fix a particular year, but sets the "present" time in the interval between 1489 DR and 1492 DR in pp. 15 and 18.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). Player's Handbook 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 143. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 13. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (August 1987). “Cyclopedia of the Realms”. In Karen S. Martin ed. Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (TSR, Inc.), p. 9. ISBN 0-88038-472-7.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, James Wyatt (2014). Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 19–20. ISBN 978-0786965622.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 45. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
- ↑ David "Zeb" Cook (August 1989). Player's Handbook (2nd edition). (TSR, Inc.), p. 66. ISBN 0-88038-716-5.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised). (TSR, Inc). ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 8.16 8.17 8.18 8.19 8.20 8.21 8.22 8.23 8.24 8.25 Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood (1990). Forgotten Realms Adventures. (TSR, Inc), pp. 129–130. ISBN 0-8803-8828-5.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 91. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- ↑ Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams (August 2000). Player's Handbook 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 96. ISBN 0-7869-1551-4.
- ↑ Template:Cite book/Player's Handbook, 3.5 Edition
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). Player's Handbook 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 157. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Brian R. James (May 2010). “Backdrop: Chessenta”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dungeon #178 (Wizards of the Coast) (178)., pp. 68–77.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (1988). The Savage Frontier. (TSR, Inc), p. 7. ISBN 0-88038-593-6.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood and Jason Carl (July 2002). Silver Marches. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 85. ISBN 0-7869-2835-2.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend (August 1997). “Book One: Tethyr”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Lands of Intrigue (TSR, Inc.), pp. 14–15. ISBN 0-7869-0697-9.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 91. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb and Andria Hayday (April 1992). Arabian Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 85. ISBN 978-1560763581.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), pp. 34–54. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.