- For how to make money, see Money making guide.
- For the value of the items, see item value.
Currency in Thedas is based on gold, silver, and copper coins. While terms vary from country to country, the ratio equivalent of said coins are the same throughout. One gold coin is worth one hundred silver and ten thousand copper. Copper and silver coins, with their lower worth, are the more frequently used currency, whereas the highly valuable sovereigns are rarer.
Coin is used in most human and dwarven societies. Cultures that have little value for coins, such as the Dalish, commonly exchange goods instead.[1]
Background[]
The standard currency was developed by the Dwarven Merchants' Guild, making the dwarves the first race to create the coinage.[2][3] Particularly expensive transactions may be completed in "bars" (solid bricks) and "strands" (stacked groups), but those are the province of merchant guilds and governments, and thus rarely seen in regular commerce.[4]
It is said that the currency was standardized when dwarven merchants used their influence and refused to accept any other currency that did not meet their specifications; this forced most nations to quickly convert.[5]
List of Coins[]
Sovereign coin
- Sovereigns/Silvers/Bits
- The gold/silver/copper coins of Ferelden, respectively.
- Royals/Crowns/Pennies
- The gold/silver/copper coins of Orlais, respectively.
Andris coin
- Andris
- The currency of Antiva. The coins feature images of famous guild leaders as opposed to rulers. An amount of five thousand andris has come to be known as "one bastard," and this term is sometimes used to subtly insult during negotiations. One andris is equivalent to one royal.[6]
Caprice coin
- Andraste's Tear
- Created as an experiment to see if a nonmetallic coin would catch on for collectors' purposes, Andraste's Tear was made of glass, influenced by the makers of Serault Glassworks. Different elemental traces were added to the glass to show the mintage lot. One coin is worth five royals. A limited run of coins valued at 100 gold per piece was also produced.[6]
- Caprice
- Caprice coins are adorned with family heraldry or designs based on a singular event. Used as part of grand parties in Orlais, the coins are intended to be disposable and have a "small" weight in gold. Orlesian nobility exchange the coins as a reward for dashing remarks and grace. At the end of the evening the coins are meant to be tossed into a fountain or, where that is not possible, a fire. Reusing a caprice coin is seen as gauche and embarrassing.[6]
Tesserae coin
- Imperial Tesserae
- In the Tevinter Imperium, tesserae are tokens or tiles created to allow entry to certain events, from magisterial meetings to parties. The tesserae market is highly competitive, with tokens that have the most accurate or spectacular detail being highly sought after by collectors. Tesserae from combat or racing events are the most collectible, especially for athletes and animals who had notable careers or who disappeared into obscurity. The rarest tesserae are those crafted for intimate, small gatherings. Despite their rarity, they have little value after the event, as few collectors have interest in a token celebrating their rival's vanity.[6]
Symbols[]
Copper piece- Silver piece
- Gold piece
- Copper pieces
- Silver pieces
- Gold pieces
- General currency
Trivia[]
- "The Traveller's Bend" was a practice used on what would become the Imperial Highway. As a means of thwarting bandits, gold coins would be beaten into a curved shape to fit under the tongue or upon the palate. It was not unknown for someone to choke on their own cache. The bend was also linked to an illness called "miser's madness" by highwaymen, which arose from using lesser Hunter Fell currency that was made of lead, inadvertently causing lead poisoning.[6]
- Zevran claims he'd charge five thousand andris for killing Alistair. This is of course, poking at the fact that he's Maric's bastard son.
References[]
- ↑ Contact Clan Lavellan operation
- ↑ Dragon Age: Origins: Prima Official Game Guide
- ↑
David Gaider (14 January, 2011). "The Official Fenris Discussion thread" (archive). The BioWare Forum. (offline). Retrieved on March 5, 2014.
- ↑ Dragon Age II: The Complete Official Guide, p. 255
- ↑ Dragon Age (tabletop RPG), Player's Guide, p. 73
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6
Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, p. 46