Currency in the realm is of a fairly relaxed system. Most countries have their own sets of coins, and most traders will take any form of currency provided that the metal it's minted of is worth something.
Though coins vary from country to country in size and name, most all of the coinage of the realm is encompassed by the following chart:
One platinum equals
Four to twenty-five gold equals
Twenty to one hundred silver equals
Two hundred to two thousand copper.

Or, alternatively (in US dollars):
One platinum equals $200 to $500
One gold equals $20 to $50
One silver equals $5 to $10
One copper equals $0.25 to $1.

By far the most common coins are copper, closely followed by silver. Platinum coins are notably rare. Too many coins get heavy, bulky, and noticeable, so only a handy amount are generally carried in a beltpouch or purse.
In Torrigan, gold coins are torches and silver coins are shields. In Aleron, silver coins are falcons, gold are hawks, and platinum are eagles. In Melanos, coins are minted square rather than round, with holes punched in their centers, and are sometimes kept on rings. Melanan gold coins are called royals, and their silver coins are called nobles. Half-coins such as the Melanan half-royal are common, and are worth (as the name implies) half of the original coin's value. Copper coins in most countries are simply referred to as coppers or pennies. Torrigan also mints silver pennies, worth about $1.50 or $2.00, and Samara produces steel coins called steelpence, which in Samara are worth the same as Torrigan's silver pennies but anywhere else are only worth about a copper.

Also, particularly among mercenaries and adventurers, jewelry is an accepted form of currency. It is not uncommon to see a traveler pay for his room with a ring from his finger or a short length from a necklace he wears. Some particularly wealthy people pay in unset gemstones.

Copyright © 1999 Abigail Laughlin and the members of the Circle of Stone.