Currency & Debt

Currency

Currency refers to the practice of using items with a somewhat universal value, namely precious metals, gems, and some minerals to determine wealth and in trade for goods and services. The most common forms of currency in everyday transactions among sentient beings of the Realms 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 the gold piece, even if neither gold nor coins were involved in a transaction.

A standard gold piece (gp) weighed 0.32 ounces (9.1 grams), so 50 coins weighed about 1 pound (450 grams). Each piece was typically a flat disk 1 1⁄4 or 1.25 inches (3.18 centimeters) in diameter and 1⁄8 or 0.125 inches (3.18 millimeters) thick. The penalty for counterfeiting was death in most places, since cities, kingdoms, and nations relied on the acceptance and trust of their currency. When large sums were involved, it was common for traders to use trade bars, which were valued by weight, instead of coins.

For general reference:

• 1 silver = 10 copper

• 1 electrum = 5 silver

• 1 gold = 10 silver

• 1 platinum = 10 gold

Debt

In the Empire, debt in measured in time owed and displayed on an Indent's shackle. Other forms of debt do exist of course, ranging from personal wagers to borrowing from corrupt money lenders - however, all of these pale in comparison to how pervasive the system of indentured servitude is within the Empire, where debt remains a driving force of social class division within imperial society.