1. J.G

    J.G New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 22, 2021
    Messages:
    5
    Likes Received:
    1
    Currently Reading::
    The Iliad

    Should I make up my own currency?

    Discussion in 'Setting Development' started by J.G, Feb 23, 2021.

    So I'm currently working on a pirate adventure novel. For the most part it is a short, fast paced actioner with not too much emphasis on world building but, as I've been writing Ive realised that it is essentially set in a fantasy world with not much connection to ours.
    There are broader fantasy elements, but even all my locations are completely fictional and there is not reference to any real places/people/countries.

    I have however been using real currencies where they are mentioned (which to be fair is not often). Does this work? I feel like currently that is no telling either way whether it takes place in our history, as its simple not brought up.

    Thanks
     
  2. Friedrich Kugelschreiber

    Friedrich Kugelschreiber marshmallow Contributor

    Joined:
    May 8, 2017
    Messages:
    4,744
    Likes Received:
    5,937
    Doubloons? Pieces of eight?
     
    J.G likes this.
  3. Bruce Johnson

    Bruce Johnson Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2023

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2021
    Messages:
    1,340
    Likes Received:
    959
    You could use a 'real' (pun intended once I noticed it) currency like the 'real' (pronounced ree-al I think) used by Spain in the New World but only refer to it as 'real' leaving it open if it's based on a historical currency or a fictional one.

    This of course would go back to the other thread on using terms in ways the reader may not be familiar with but I don't think it will take long for the reader to get it.
     
    J.G likes this.
  4. FlyingFishPhilosophy

    FlyingFishPhilosophy Member

    Joined:
    Mar 24, 2017
    Messages:
    28
    Likes Received:
    23
    Another way out is simply gold and silver coins.
     
    jannert, J.G and Cave Troll like this.
  5. Naomasa298

    Naomasa298 HP: 10/190 Status: Confused Contributor

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2019
    Messages:
    5,346
    Likes Received:
    6,170
    Location:
    The White Rose county, UK
    Dong.

    In the real world, the names of currencies derived from weights, as in "one pound of gold", and fractions thereof. So think about how weights are used in your world and work it from there.

    Or just use real-world coins, yarr.
     
    J.G and Catrin Lewis like this.
  6. Catrin Lewis

    Catrin Lewis Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2023 Community Volunteer

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2014
    Messages:
    4,406
    Likes Received:
    4,755
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    This video might give you some ideas about where currency names come from.

     
  7. Nesrin

    Nesrin Member

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2021
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    8
    Location:
    Europe
    Currently Reading::
    A discovery of Witches/Lord of the Rings
    This is a creative idea; however, if the currency in your story has no real significance and is only something that is plundered and spent, then simplifying it to gold, silver, and copper should be fine. However, if the currency drives the plot in some way (such as the specific material for the currency is causing issues politically or a specific material that is being acquired through slaves), then sure, get a little creative.
    Overall, I think it depends on how much energy you want to put into it.
     
    Lifeline likes this.
  8. Homer Potvin

    Homer Potvin A tombstone hand and a graveyard mind Staff Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2017
    Messages:
    12,141
    Likes Received:
    19,771
    Location:
    Rhode Island
    Money is money no matter what you call it. It's a universal concept that doesn't require explanation. Call it whatever you want... the reader will understand.
     
  9. J.G

    J.G New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 22, 2021
    Messages:
    5
    Likes Received:
    1
    Currently Reading::
    The Iliad
    Very interesting, thanks!
     
  10. J.G

    J.G New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 22, 2021
    Messages:
    5
    Likes Received:
    1
    Currently Reading::
    The Iliad
    Yeah good point, its not all that important and is only used for a couple of small scenes were trade is involved, I think I will probably stick to real currency but we will see.

    Thanks
     
    Nesrin likes this.
  11. Catrin Lewis

    Catrin Lewis Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2023 Community Volunteer

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2014
    Messages:
    4,406
    Likes Received:
    4,755
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    That said, if people start using dollars, quarters, dimes, etc., in a fantasy story, I'm gonna go "Huh??"
     
    jannert, X Equestris and Nesrin like this.
  12. Iain Aschendale

    Iain Aschendale Lying, dog-faced pony Marine Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2015
    Messages:
    18,851
    Likes Received:
    35,471
    Location:
    Face down in the dirt
    Currently Reading::
    Telemachus Sneezed
    I'm re-reading some old fantasy at the moment and money figures quite prominently, but the author refers to gold and silver "marks." He mentions that the value of the different coinages fluctuates as a silver shortage is one of the background plot elements, but the only time in five books or so that he assigns a specific value is when he offers a poor person ten silver marks to perform a job and then says that that was probably about what they'd make in three months as a laborer. You can give the money any name you like, show once or twice what it will buy and everybody will be happy as long as you're consistent.

    Related note: I just watched Safety Last, a 1923 silent film. The hero gets his rent bill early on, $14 for two weeks rent. He gets a paycheck later, $15 for 6 days work, and later still sees a 50 cent "businessman's lunch" with a bowl of soup (10 cents), a plate with ham, peas, and potatoes (20 cents), a slice of pie (10 cents), and a cup of coffee (10 cents). As he spent his last five dimes elsewhere we saw the items disappear one by one. I don't think Harold Lloyd intended to provide an economic touchstone for the people of the next century, but he did a very good job of it. 21st century trigger warning: the scene is interspersed with some casual anti-Semitism.
     
    jannert likes this.
  13. GraceLikePain

    GraceLikePain Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2020
    Messages:
    490
    Likes Received:
    506
    Krone, leu, dollar, pataca, markka, franc, birr, dobra, koruna, pound rand, sucre, taka, quetzal....

    Sorry, just had the word menu out. These are all nice names, but I think they're a little overmuch for a fantasy world.
     
  14. Iain Aschendale

    Iain Aschendale Lying, dog-faced pony Marine Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2015
    Messages:
    18,851
    Likes Received:
    35,471
    Location:
    Face down in the dirt
    Currently Reading::
    Telemachus Sneezed
    "Dollar" comes from "thaler" and thence from "Joachimsthaler," or "Joachim's Valley" silver, so dollars are "valley money."

    upload_2021-2-26_14-16-50.png
     
  15. Friedrich Kugelschreiber

    Friedrich Kugelschreiber marshmallow Contributor

    Joined:
    May 8, 2017
    Messages:
    4,744
    Likes Received:
    5,937
    I was using florins in the fantasy epic that I'll never probably finish, mostly because I liked the name, but I need to think about the florin's value because my MC throws them around like it's going out of style. Apparently in real life they contained 54 grains of gold, so either the florins in my WIP are incredibly debased or they're florins only nominally.
     
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2021
    Iain Aschendale likes this.
  16. Iain Aschendale

    Iain Aschendale Lying, dog-faced pony Marine Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2015
    Messages:
    18,851
    Likes Received:
    35,471
    Location:
    Face down in the dirt
    Currently Reading::
    Telemachus Sneezed
    The lira was originally issued by Charlemagne, who based it on a pound of silver. It wasn't a coin at the time, simply a notation of value.

    By the time the Turks redenominated their lira in 2005, the old Turkish lira traded at 1,350,000 to the US dollar. They stripped six zeros off and it is currently trading at 7.38 TRY to the USD.

    Still cheaper than a pound of silver, which is running around $390/lb (a real pound, none of that troy ounce bullshit).
     
  17. X Equestris

    X Equestris Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2015
    Messages:
    2,595
    Likes Received:
    3,186
    Location:
    Oklahoma
    I’d say it depends what real world currency you’re using. Doubloons, pieces-of-eight, reales, or generic dollars/thalers? Those lend themselves to your pirate adventure aesthetic pretty well. But I’d steer clear of modern-sounding denomination names or nicknames like buck, quarter, dime, etc.

    Creating your own currencies has its advantages, though. One of my published stories hinges on the properties of coins made from a fictional metal, which allowed them to be turned into murder weapons.
     
  18. Friedrich Kugelschreiber

    Friedrich Kugelschreiber marshmallow Contributor

    Joined:
    May 8, 2017
    Messages:
    4,744
    Likes Received:
    5,937
    That's incredible, haha. It didn't mean much to be a millionaire.
     
  19. Iain Aschendale

    Iain Aschendale Lying, dog-faced pony Marine Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2015
    Messages:
    18,851
    Likes Received:
    35,471
    Location:
    Face down in the dirt
    Currently Reading::
    Telemachus Sneezed
    The first time I went it meant you could afford a Happy Meal. The last time it was down to a Coke (smile not included at that price point).
     
  20. Naomasa298

    Naomasa298 HP: 10/190 Status: Confused Contributor

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2019
    Messages:
    5,346
    Likes Received:
    6,170
    Location:
    The White Rose county, UK
    In fantasy, I stick to gold crowns, silver shillings and copper pennies, with the occasional half-crown thrown in for good measure.

    It's unimaginative, but I want to create a feeling of familiarity for the readers.

    Of course, then there's the issue of relative value. A peasant in my worlds wouldn't earn a whole gold crown in a month.
     
  21. Storysmith

    Storysmith Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2014
    Messages:
    338
    Likes Received:
    340
    I'd suggest having a range of currencies if your pirates are stealing from ships from different nations. Perhaps nation A use shillings, nation B uses marks, nation C uses crowns, etc. That's more realistic than having all of those nations sharing a single currency.

    Also, there's a great list of possible names here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_banknotes_and_coins

    Florins? Groats? Modern British money is so dull in comparison.
     
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2021
    Iain Aschendale likes this.
  22. Cave Troll

    Cave Troll It's Coffee O'clock everywhere. Contributor

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2015
    Messages:
    17,922
    Likes Received:
    27,173
    Location:
    Where cushions are comfy, and straps hold firm.
    Going to draw from WH40K Hive Cities, but it will make sense.
    Thrones are the Imperium standard currency for all under it's
    control. However, the locals in a given sector will deal in their
    own made currencies outside of their manufacturing Scritps
    which are only useful and traded for goods and services from
    that company that issued it. So you can essentially mint a private
    coin/note system for your organization that is only accepted from
    within it, while keeping outside currencies valuable to trade and
    commerce with those that have minted it.
    Or you could go the Ork route and use teeth (granted an Ork
    is much like a shark in the sense that they constantly replenish
    missing teeth.)
    Basically currency is anything that is of value and exchangeable
    between all agreeable parties, that is uniform, and not random
    crazy goods/services like barter is. :)
     
  23. Some Guy

    Some Guy Manguage Langler Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    May 2, 2018
    Messages:
    6,738
    Likes Received:
    10,227
    Location:
    The kingdom of scrambled portmanteaus
    Centari ducats.
     
    Cave Troll likes this.
  24. Thundair

    Thundair Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2017
    Messages:
    1,345
    Likes Received:
    1,191
    Location:
    San Diego
    30 pieces of silver worked in one book.:)
     
    Iain Aschendale likes this.

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice