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Coinage of Sembara

The economy of Sembara is fully monetized, and most large transactions take place using coins. Although barter does occur in smaller villages, and the major taxes (especially the deca and nonem) are typically paid in kind, coinage is common throughout the Sembaran region.

The Sembaran crown mints gold and silver coins, called royals, crowns and bits, which commonly circulate in several denominations:

  • Royals, rarely circulated but used for large transactions, worth 20 gp (large gold coins)
  • Double crowns, commonly called doubles, worth 16 sp (medium gold coins)
  • Crowns, worth 8 sp (small gold coins)
  • Half-crowns, commonly called halfs, worth 4 sp (large silver coins)
  • Four bits (commonly called groats), double bits, and bits, worth 16 cp, 8 cp, and 4 cp each (small to medium silver coins)
  • Halfbits, worth 2 cp (a small silver coin)
  • Quarterbits, worth 1 cp (small silver coin)

The most common coins are groats, halfs, bits, halfbits, and quarterbits. The recent Sembaran monarchs have mostly ensured that the gold and silver content of these coins matches the face value, but during certain periods, especially in the hundred years between the end of the Great War and the beginning of the reign of Cece I, coins were occasionally debased. Spending old treasure hordes can be difficult, as unrecognized coins are sometimes mistrusted. Not all coins were minted at all times either, i.e. a specific monarch may not have minted halfbits. However, in general, there is no developed sense of “coin collectors” and it would be extremely rare for coins to be ever worth more than their “face value” in gold or silver.

In addition Dwarven Coins circulate widely, as do dwarven trade bars: bars of gold or silver in standard weights, stamped and marked by dwarven mints. These are commonly used for large transactions and are widely trusted.