COIN OF THE REALMS

Nearly every major power of Faerûn has its own currency: coins minted within its borders that represent both its influence and material wealth. Most coins of pure composition and standard weight are accepted at face value across the continent, though not every city-state or nation bothers to mint every sort of coin.

Some of the most commonly found, and widely accepted, currency in the Realms is summarized below. Each grouping is arranged in order of value: copper, silver, electrum, gold, and (when present) platinum. Most people across Faerûn refer to coins by whatever name the issuing government uses, regardless of origin, except for Zhentil Keep — for some reason, all Zhent coins have unflattering epithets associated with them.

Amn: fander, taran, centaur, danter, roldon

Cormyr: thumb, falcon, blue eye, golden lion, tricrown

Sembia: steelpence (an iron coin), hawk, blue eye, noble

Silverymoon: glint, shield, sword, dragon, unicorn

Waterdeep: nib, shard, sambar, dragon, sun

Zhentil Keep: fang (“dung-piece”), talon/naal (“flea-bit”), tarenth (“hardhammer”), glory (“weeping wolf”), platinum glory (“flat metal gem”)

Silverymoon also mints two special coins: the moon and the eclipsed moon. The moon is a crescent-shaped, shining blue coin of electrum, valued at 2 unicorns in Silverymoon and nearby settlements, and 1 unicorn everywhere else. The eclipsed moon stamps an electrum moon with a darker silver wedge to complete a round coin. It is worth 5 unicorns within the city, but only 2 unicorns elsewhere.

Waterdeep has its own coins. The taol is a square piece of brass, worth 2 dragons in the city — and virtually worthless to anyone not trading with Waterdeep. Most traders exchange their taols for standard coins before traveling. The “harbor moon” is a palm-sized crescent of platinum inset with electrum, and is worth 50 dragons in the city, 30 dragons elsewhere. Its name comes from its common use in buying large amounts of cargo. Both taols and harbor moons are pierced to enable the bearer to string multiple coins together.

Baldur’s Gate sets the standard for minting trade bars — ingots of metal (usually silver) of an accepted size and weight used in lieu of great piles of coins or gems for larger transactions. The most common such trade bar is a 5-pound bar 6 inches long, 2 inches wide, and 1 inch thick, valued at 25 gp.