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Coins of the Realms
"What makes a gold danter from Amn different from a Cormyrean gold lion? Read on fair wanderer and learn of the coins of the Realms."
-Silvestre Que’Patha
Standard Currency
| 100 copper pieces (cp) | = 100 copper pieces (cp) |
| = 10 silver pieces (sp) | |
| = 2 electrum pieces (ep) | |
| = 1 gold piece (gp) | |
| = 1/5 platinum piece (pp) |
Amn
| Currency | Slang | Worth | Used by |
| Fandar | Red Ink | 1 cp | Lower classes & the poor |
| Taran | None | 1 sp | All but merchant houses |
| Decime | Centaur | 1 ep | All (major Amnian coin) |
| Danter | Little Pearl | 1 gp | All (major Amnian coin) |
| Roldon | Pearl | 1 pp | Houses, families (status symbol) |
| Trade Bars | Great Pearl | Varies | Council of Six, houses, families |
| Jewelry | None | Varies | Council of Six, houses, families |
Coins of Calimshan
| Worth | Stamped In/ Used In | Coin Name | Slang |
| 1 cp | Almraiven | Rada | River |
| 1 cp | Calimport | Unarche | River |
| 1 cp | Keltar | Unarche | Rassine |
| 1 cp | Manshaka | Djenayin | Spanner |
| 1 cp | Memnon | Aanth | Hatchling |
| 1 cp | Schamedar | Djenayin | Lamp |
| 1 cp | Teshburl | Niften | River |
| 1 cp | Volothamp | Rada | Jade |
| 1 sp | Almraiven | Espedrille | Moon |
| 1 sp | Calimport | Decarche | Moon |
| 1 sp | Keltar | Decarche | Messine |
| 1 sp | Manshaka | Djenarba | Marid |
| 1 sp | Memnon | Pranth | Red worm |
| 1 sp | Schamedar | Djenarba | Marid |
| 1 sp | Teshburl | Sefen | Moon |
| 1 sp | Volothamp | Espedrille | Topaz |
| 1 ep | Almraiven | Tazo | Tear |
| 1 ep | Calimport | Centarche | Tear |
| 1 ep | Keltar | Centarche | Dolcene |
| 1 ep | Manshaka | Djendive | Djinn |
| 1 ep | Memnon | Zonth | Red wing |
| 1 ep | Schamedar | Djendive | Djinn |
| 1 ep | Teshburl | Talaen | Tear |
| 1 ep | Volothamp | Tazo | Amber |
| 1 gp | Almraiven | Rekatik | Sun |
| 1 gp | Calimport | Bicenta | Sun |
| 1 gp | Keltar | Bicenta | Narcene |
| 1 gp | Manshaka | Djenanya | Memnon |
| 1 gp | Memnon | Yirnth | Great wing |
| 1 gp | Schamedar | Djenanya | Memnon |
| 1 gp | Teshburl | Pulon | Sun |
| 1 gp | Volothamp | Rekatik | Beryl |
| 1 pp | Almraiven | Mandrille | Star |
| 1 pp | Calimport | Kilarche | Star |
| 1 pp | Keltar | Kilarche | Redolene |
| 1 pp | Manshaka | Djendjen | Calim |
| 1 pp | Memnon | Wynth | Great worm |
| 1 pp | Schamedar | Djendjen | Calim |
| 1 pp | Teshburl | Khasan | Star |
| 1 pp | Volothamp | Mandrille | Pearl |
Cormyr
| Worth | Coin Name |
| 1 cp | Copper thumbs |
| 1 sp | Silver falcons |
| 1 ep | Blue eyes |
| 1 gp | Golden lions |
| 1 pp | Tricrowns |
Waterdeep
| Worth | Coin Name |
| 1 cp | Copper nibs |
| 1 sp | Shards |
| 1 ep | Moons |
| 1 gp | Dragons |
| 1 pp | Suns |
Waterdeep produces a square, flat brass coin called a "taol," issued and honored by the Lords’ treasury, which has a 2-gold-piece value within the city walls and very little value elsewhere. Most taols never leave the city, but are changed to standard coins of metal value by those leaving. Taols have holes in the center to aid the user in collecting them on a ring or thong; one eccentric warrior of long-ago Waterdeep always paid his bills by means of a hurled dagger on which were transfixed several taols, aimed at the bar or a pillar nearby. The much rarer "harbor moon," worth 25 taols or 50 gold pieces, is fashioned of platinum inset with electrum, and consists of a crescent with a hole cut into the center of its curve; its name comes from its traditional use in the docks for buying large amounts of cargo at a time. Also issued by the treasury, this is another coin of lesser value (about 2 platinum pieces) outside the city walls.
Sembia maintains a similar coinage, but it is instead differentiated by shape. Gold coins are five-sided, silver are triangular, iron (replacing copper here) are square, and electrum are diamond-shaped. Sembia issues no platinum pieces, instead using silver and copper trade bars in 5-, 10-, 25-, and 50-gp denominations.
Mirabar makes four-sided trade bars of black iron; each is like two long, thin pyramids joined together at the their bases, forming a foot-long spindle. These are valued at 10 gold pieces in Mirabar, 7 gold pieces in Luskan and Port Llast, and 5 gold pieces elsewhere.
Silverymoon mints a crescent-shaped, shining blue coin called an "electrum moon." These are worth 2 electrum pieces in Alustriel’s lands and 1 electrum piece elsewhere. Recently, they began making a larger, round coin called the "eclipsed moon"; they stamp the shining blue crescent of an electrum moon together with a darker silver wedge to complete a round coin, and it is worth 5 electrum pieces within the city, 2 electrum pieces without.
Local city-states often mint their own copper, silver, and gold pieces. Electrum and platinum pieces are rarer, and are usually minted in the more powerful states such as Cormyr, Waterdeep, and Amn. Smaller states, such as the fractured regions of Damara, use coinage borrowed from other nations and looted from ancient sources.
Merchants throughout the Realms make use of trade bars, either of silver or (for the more profitable caravans and costers) electrum. These trade bars are generally ingots of the particular metal in 10-, 25-, and 50-gp denominations. They are marked with the trail mark of the merchant or company that uses them. There are even (particularly in the South), trade bars of 500- and 1,000-gp denominations. Trade bars are regarded as bulk coins the denomination they are made in, and are checked by weight.
