Imperial Coin

Chapter I: Currency & Trade

CURRENCY & TRADE

CHAPTER

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“I gave the protagonist 20 Shimmies to take care of a little problem for me. Amazing how you can grease with the wheels of commerce with a bit of coin and a bit of blood.” —Johannes, Carroburg Smuggler

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oin is scarce; so most people in the Old World rely on bartering and trading services to survive. A miller charges an agreed upon weight of grain in exchange for grinding it to flour, while a butcher claims a portion of the animal in exchange for cleaning and dressing the kill. This level of traded service allows people in the Old World to overcome the scarcity of wealth by sharing the burden of survival amongst the community. Of course, any peasant will take coin for his services, charging nobles and their servants for a haunch of meat, medical service, finished products like weapons and armour, just as one would expect. But such transactions are few and far between, too infrequent to feed their families and maintain the thatch roofs over their heads. For examples of common wages and income levels, see Table 1-1: Income.

— DENOMINATIONS —

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egardless of nationality, all coins currently in circulation have the same approximate weights and are usually made from the same materials. Each coin weighs approximately one ounce, and all coins are made from gold, silver, and either brass or copper (though sometimes bronze). In every land, people refer to coins by common names. Gold coins are Gold Crowns, and when written are designated with “gc;” silver coins are Silver Shillings, noted as “s;” brass (or bronze or copper, in any case they are all of equal value) are Pennies, and designated by “p.” So 4 Gold Crowns is written 4 gc, 9 Silver Shillings is 9 s, and 15 Brass Pennies is 15 p.

BORDER PRINCES The Border Princes do not mint their own coinage. Coin from any land is legitimate tender in these states. Of the coins circulating in this troubled land, the Empire’s coins are by far the most common, but those of other nations are also found.

BRETONNIA Bretonnian coins are far less ostentatious than many, with a simple yet elegant design. The gold coin is called the ecu, also of a comparable size and weight to the Imperial crown. It features the bust of King Gilles le Breton, the founder of their nation, the basis of their military tradition, and the finest example of all of their knights. The denier features Gilles le Breton’s personal coat of arms and the date of his death. Finally, the penny is a mixture of bronze and pewter, featuring the coat of arms or familial symbol of one of the 14 duchies composing the nation.

The rate of exchange is as follows. 1 Gold Crown (gc) = 20 Silver Shillings (s) = 240 Brass Pennies (p) 1 Silver Shilling = 12 Brass Pennies As stated, superficial differences do exist. The image on the coin’s face changes with the nation or city-state minting the coin. Adulations, praises, and sayings all depend on the culture from which they originate. Some of the major nationalities and their coins are as follows.

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Chapter I: Currency & Trade

TABLE 1-1: INCOME Job

Yearly Pay (gc)

Monthly Pay (s)

Weekly Pay (p)

Daily Pay (p)

Peasant Rich Farmer Innkeeper City Shopkeeper Mercenary Skilled Craftsman Typical Fence Doctor Artificer Lesser Noble Wizard Lord Greater Noble

9-15 15-25 20-30 20-40 20-50 25-80 30-100 40-150 150-500 250-500 300-800 1000+

15-25 25-45 35-50 35-65 35-80 40-135 50-165 65-250 250-835 415-835 500-1350 1700+

45-75 75-135 105-150 105-195 105-240 120-400 150-495 195-750 750- 2505 1245- 2505 1500- 4050 5100+

7-12 12-22 17-25 17-32 17-40 20-66 25-82 32-125 125-420 210-420 250-675 850+

All yearly wages given are before regional taxes have been applied.

THE EMPIRE

newer coins feature this weapon crossed over a bow. Lesser coins display a stag, bear, or stoat.

The Empire mints the majority of the currency in circulation and its coins are by far the most common in the Old World. All cities mint their own coins, but each meets the specifications established in Nuln. Variations are quite common. One year, Altdorf marked the backs of their lesser coins with a deathly figure; the next year they displayed a rampant griffon. One thing uniting all the coins is the profile of the current Elector Count of each state that adorns the front. A profusion of differently minted coins in circulation combined with regional dialect and an Old Worlder’s tendency to wilful obscurity makes the situation even worse. Examples include the Gelt, a northlander term for gold coins; the Mark, which is pretty much used throughout the Empire for gold; Shimmies is a street term of unknown origin for Shillings; and Mucks is used by rural folk for the Shillings. Even Pennies aren’t exempt from the slang of the Empire’s streets, earning evocative names like “Shrapnels” from soldiers and “Clanks” from the guttersnipes. Marienburg, no longer technically part of the Empire, has “Guilders,” gold coins stamped with the profile of a prominent guildmaster. Naturally, these coins change appearance often.

MIDDENHEIM Proud of their associations with Ulric, Middenheim stamps their coins with a running wolf. Some coins, notably Shillings, also bear the image of a four-gated citadel or key to commemorate the gate wardens, whose regiments fought in the city’s defence.

MOOTLAND The Halflings of the Moot use their symbol, a gigantic cock, on their silver coins. As this is the only coin the Moot mints, they use Karls and Clanks from the Empire.

NULN As a centre for learning and industry, Nuln marks their coins with images of the great bridge of the city or batteries of the various cannons they’ve developed. The Gold Crown features the crest of Nuln’s Gunnery School on the back and the profile of the Emperor on the face.

ALTDORF Commemorating the victory over the von Carsteins through the two sieges of the city during the Vampire Wars, Altdorf occasionally uses a deathly figure as a symbol. By it, they celebrate their defiance against undead and evil magic. Some coins, usually the pence, feature a rampant griffon to show deference to the Emperor. The profile of the Emperor dominates their coins more than any other nation; so most people here call Gold Crowns “Karls.” Those on the streets call these coins “Shiners.”

OSTLAND The bull of Ostland is a symbol of stubbornness and solidity, a characteristic shared and perhaps inherited from its Kislevite neighbours. The Dragon Bow of the Count, heirloom of the rulers of Ostland, is also used on these coins.

HOCHLAND

STIRLAND

As a province of great hunters, Hochland uses images of the bow and horn on their coinage. In recent times, because of the proliferation of the Hochland long rifle,

The tribe controlling these lands at the time of Sigmar were not ruled over by a chieftain, but by a fierce warrior-queen.

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Chapter I: Currency & Trade Though she died at Blackfire Pass, and her son took on the mantel of Elector when the Empire was forged, this ferocious leader is still honoured in ancient songs of the province. Though her name is now forgotten, her likeness is immortalized on Stirland’s silver coins.

landscape is inhospitable and too distant and dangerous for many merchants. Norscan people rarely mint their own coins, content to steal coins during their raids. What coins they do mint are the sceattas, a small silver coin bearing the crude image of a Norscan king encircled by a ring of runes, and the pfennig, a bronze coin whose face is divided into four quadrants. Each quadrant bears a rune; starting with strength in the top left quadrant, clockwise the other quadrants are courage, death, and conquest. The Norscan people do not mint gold coins; they melt it down to make jewellery instead.

TALABHEIM The sacred Talabec River is important to Talabheim life, being the source of trade, religion, and life. Hence, many coins, notably the Silver Shilling, feature images of a river. Talabheim’s penny also has religious connotations, marking its significance back to Gods antedating Sigmar. All pennies minted in the city bear the image of antlers or of a twisted tree whose branches are shaped like antlers. The city’s location in the crater of a comet firms the connection between the people of Talabheim and the symbol of Sigmar, the twin-tailed comet. To celebrate their vaunted status, they mark their Crowns with the image of the twin-tailed comet.

They do not exchange coins with other nations, seeing coins from other lands as equal value regardless of composition.

TILEAN CITY-STATES No two city-states in Tilea have the same coins. A variety of images and symbols mark them, depending on the region and government responsible for their minting; although Tilea does abide by the Crown, Shilling, and Penny nomenclature used by the Empire. The common Gold Crown features the profile of various famous merchant princes on the front and a merchant’s scale on the back, similar to what’s used in the Estalian duro. Shillings may feature sailing ships or the bolt thrower, a famous Tilean invention. Pennies also vary wildly. Some depict an important fortresses, shrines, government buildings, or even marketplaces. Because each city-state mints its own currency, quality varies. As a result, Tilean coinage is generally worthless in other lands. Dwarfs flat out refuse to accept Tilean currency in their own lands, so merchants from these lands use Imperial coin.

WISSENLAND Having absorbed the former Solland province, the people of the south continue to uphold the tradition of using the sun in their coins and flags. The reason for this longstanding reverence comes from the fall of Solland itself, for it is one of the darkest stories in Imperial history. Most say the area is a place that the ‘Light Doth Shine No More.’

ESTALIA Estalian currency is similar to Imperial coins, being of the same weights and compositions. The face of the excelente, their gold piece, features a castle on a hillside, and the back of the coin bears the crest of the ruling family of the city-state where the coin was minted. Like much of the Old World, the silver real is the standard unit of currency, featuring a fish on the front and the date of its minting on the back. Finally, the duro, the smallest denomination, is made of bronze or copper. These small coins feature a merchant’s scale on the face and the banner of the Estalia Kingdoms on the back.

DWARF COINS The Dwarfs use the same denominations as the Empire, but each coin is of a quality and composition superior to those used by Men. The gold coin features an intricate rendering of the Book of Grudges, to remind other races of the Dwarf people’s long memory. Other coins, silver and bronze alike, have the clan symbols stamped on the face, with the date of their minting on the backs. Some Dwarfen coins also have images of mountains as well. Dwarfs, ever the literal people without understanding of subtleties, refer to their coins by gold, silver, and brass.

KISLEV The Kislevite gold ducat changes with each Tzar or Tzarina, bearing a new profile whenever a monarch takes the throne. The palace is the only constant, always present on the back of the coin. These coins are of exceptional quality; legend has it that the coin dies originated from the Dwarfholds of the World’s Edge Mountains. The denga, Kislev’s silver coin, is more common than the gold coin, and it bears the image of Tsarina Kattarin. The pulo, a copper coin, displays a bear’s head on the face and an eagle on the back.

ELF COINS Like other people in the Old World, Elves use coins to facilitate trade with their Human neighbours; although among their own people, they prefer to barter or trade in services rather than partake in the impersonal exchange of metals. As with all things in Elven communities, the medium presents an opportunity for their artisans to show a profound understanding of the world, to create something of unsurpassed beauty. However, given their general disdain for violence and warfare, they never glorify battle in their art. Thus, one never finds an Elven gold sovereign decorated with a pair of

NORSCA Far north of the Empire and Kislev lies the frigid land of Norsca, a place where Chaos has a firm grasp. Much of this bleak and frozen

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