Does anyone know of a reference on coins in the Yeomanry? Do they mint their own or do they rely on Keoland and their other sister countries in the Sheldomar.
I would suppose that since they have only one primary trading partner, they probably use Keoish Coin. It really dosent make sense to me that they would want seperate coinage.
According to the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, the Yeomanry coins are as follows:
Freegold (gp), halfgold (ep), silver (sp), and common (cp). These coins are completely different from Keoland in regards to their name and most likely their look.
If the used Keoland coins I would think the same names would be used as well. In addition, if the same coins were used, they would have Keoland printed on them and possibly a picture of a Keoland ruler. Seems unlikely that they would use these coins.
If they weren't capable or chose not to print their own coins they would then have to hire another kingdom to do the minting for them. This I would expect would be very costly.
So it is my opinion that they would mint their own. _________________ Eileen of Greyhawk, Prophet of Istus, Messenger of the Gods
Minting has generally been considered a prestige activity and most rulers (and many lesser lords) have endeavored to maintain a mint. The Yeomanry has different coins than Keoland, so I'm certain it has at least one mint.
As a side note, I disagree with the assertion that the Yeomanry only has one major trading partner. It is quite likely to trade with dwarves and others in the surrounding mountains and, prior to the chaos, with the Holders to the south.
According to the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, the Yeomanry coins are as follows:
Freegold (gp), halfgold (ep), silver (sp), and common (cp). These coins are completely different from Keoland in regards to their name and most likely their look.
If the used Keoland coins I would think the same names would be used as well. In addition, if the same coins were used, they would have Keoland printed on them and possibly a picture of a Keoland ruler. Seems unlikely that they would use these coins.
If they weren't capable or chose not to print their own coins they would then have to hire another kingdom to do the minting for them. This I would expect would be very costly.
So it is my opinion that they would mint their own.
National pride also comes into it. By all accounts, the Yeomen are very independent-minded, and would not like the idea of being dependent on Keoland for the stability of their currency. If Keoland's coins suddenly become devalued, what would that do to the Yeomanry's economy? Their economy would be at the mercy of the Throne of the Lion, which I doubt any Yeoman woud ever accept.
By minting their own currency, they can ensure monetary policy is decided in Loftwick rather than Niole Dra, and if their coinage is devalued, at least it will be through their own failings, rather than those of Keoland-and, of course, given Keoland's long history of military and political blunders, it won't be long before they screw up again. _________________ <div align="left">Going to war without Keoland is like going to war without a pipe organ. They both make a lot of noise and they're both a lot of dead weight, so what's the point in taking them along? </div>
I probably spoke a little hastily earlier in saying that the Yeomanry has no coinage of it's own. It would make sense that the leadership would want that sign of independance. However, like Pesos, CD$ and many other similar currencies around the world today (and in history) the coinage of the giant neighbor is probably a freely accepted substitute.
On a Macro Economic level (ignoring the giants, dragons, and spells) having coinage and having a currency are often two different thiings. In a small nation such as Yeomanry or Gran March, Bissel or Ulek, the ability to keep a currency stable would be very difficult.
A few shilled coins, a lack of gold or silver to mint the coinage, a few bad decisions by a ruler, and the coins could/would be melted down fairly fast. Their value other than as gold would diminish quickly.
From a gaming perspective, I dont really bother my players with all the different coins of the Sheldomar, and they are not interested in exchange rates. My wife (one of my players) that if I want to play with exchange rates, I need to take her to Europe.
So, Gran March (where we game) ostensibly has a coinage, and all the players know it, but everthing is based on the Keoish standard and we leave it at that. It works well for my group. YMMV.
However, like Pesos, CD$ and many other similar currencies around the world today (and in history) the coinage of the giant neighbor is probably a freely accepted substitute.
A few shilled coins, a lack of gold or silver to mint the coinage, a few bad decisions by a ruler, and the coins could/would be melted down fairly fast. Their value other than as gold would diminish quickly.
"Their value other than as gold"? Coins in pre modern economies never had any value except their precious metal content. Modern currency markets didn't exist. And, in most cases, the limitation on foreign coinage circulating was mainly in that most folks wouldn't know the silver content of the coin in question. The French did outlaw the english penny as a coin during a stretch of the struggle for control over southern France, but otherwise coins were pretty much usable. Prior to that, the French deniers and the english pennies were both widely used.
In fact, you would often see contracts specifying both coins in a contract, often when they were trying to get around legal limits on the charging of interest. An example would be a contract making a loan of 1000 deniers tournoise to be paid back as 100 sterling pennies. In theory, both are 'penny' coins, but the sterling had more silver in it (medieval pennies were minted anywhere from 200 to 400 per pound of silver; the sterling was consistently 240/pound).
A coin wouldn't change in value based on anything other than a change in its metal content (or a change in the value of the metal: fiscal mismanagement led to spanish bankruptcies after their New World wealth flooded the country with gold). A lack of silver to mint the coins might result in the ruler putting less silver into new coins, which would devalue those coins. But the old coins wouldn't change in value (though, often, rulers in such situations mandated a coin swap as kind of tax on their citizens). Bad decisions by the ruler wouldn't affect the coins' value unless he or she so alienated his neighbors that the coins were made illegal or otherwise restricted politically.
The issue is that certain coins were assumed to have a certain amount of gold, silver, etc. The important thing to many was the lack of need to yank out the scales at every turn. "is it a schilling or is it part of a schiling?"
I agree... there was not the concept of paper money/implied value that there is today. But there were assumptions that rulers would prevent schilling, forgery, etc. A strong ruler could keep people from counterfeiting the currency, or devaluing it, etc.
There is a book, "Millionaire," that discusses this at length, and you might well enjoy.
Again, this does not mean you statements are wrong, just not absolute. Regardless, I think the multiple conversions of currecy would not be appreciated by MY gaming group. If other groups like it, more power to them.
Something I toyed with in 1st edition was creating charts which indicated how many coins in a monster lair were from this country and that country, how old the coins were (and therefore they looked different). Some valuable coins were sought after by collectors others were only partial value or worthless and the charts indicated this.
Most coins found in a region were accepted outright within a neighboring friendly kingdom but each country did have it's list of banned currencies. In order to get their wealth out of the banned coins players hung on to them and exchanged them when they reached a country which was willing to do that. I did charge a 10% interest for exchange.
I no longer have the charts but I do plan on reviving a system similar to this in the future for Greyhawk although I would simplify it a bit better and possibly create a sheet for the players to keep their coins straight in order to reduce bookwork and headaches on their part.
I no nothing of economics or midevil coins and don't claim to, I did it merely to make what I felt was a more believable World of Greyhawk. I'm sure if someone wanted to they could have easily picked the charts apart. Obviously I thought they were worth something to the game since I plan to re-do the coinage project someday. _________________ Eileen of Greyhawk, Prophet of Istus, Messenger of the Gods
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