[Mkguild] A question of money exchange

[Alex Green]

On Thu, Feb 27, 2014 at 6:42 PM, Ryx <sundansyr at yahoo.com> wrote:

> If the links had a smaller diameter they could all be put on a lanyard
> without being linked - making them into flat beads for all intents and
> purposes.  This works better than a linked chain that has to be broken, and
> then reassembled, for every darn purchase.  Size only becomes important in
> smaller denominations - i.e. 'change'.  Gold and silver would go by weight
> and have more varied appearances than copper or tin.
>

The point of having currency, even if it is just bullion, is to facilitate
trade, in part by not having to weight out the right amount of change.  The
smallest denomination of these links is worth 1/100th of an ounce of silver
or 2/3rds of 1/1000th of on ounce of gold.  The reason most trade was done
by barter in our middle ages was partly because gold and silver coin were
far too valuable for average purchases.


>
> And copper, in that time period, is no easier to smelt than silver even if
> it is easier to find in quantity.  So making solid copper or alloyed copper
> currency would actually maintain a decent value.  Having for the most part
> expanded beyond the bronze age there would be little call for bronze, thus
> lessening the value of copper and tin overall.
>

The problem is more that these links are worth six times their weight in
copper.  Some enterprising criminal organization could buy a bunch of
copper and cast it into the shape of these links and have a sixfold return
on investment which is absolutely worth the effort.


>
> Steel, on the other hand, would be a powerful and viable currency.  A
> kingdom that could forge high quality steel or better yet vanadium steel
> would be set to become a Power to contend with - like Metamor with their
> mithril.
>

While steel is most definitely a valuable commodity, it would not make a
very good currency.  The steel they would be able to produce with medieval
level technology would rust too fast if not properly taken care of.  As far
as vanadium steel is concerned, vanadium metal is rather difficult to
isolate and the compounds that are the easiest to isolate it with are made
through electrolysis.


>
> Perhaps this distant kingdom might want an exchange more like:  Gold,
> silver, steel, bronze, iron, copper, tin?
>
> And then we get into even more complex currencies that can only be refined
> by magical means (simple or complex) such as Mithril.  What other materials
> would require magic to refine from ore to product?  The discovery of that
> metal in quantities sufficient to mine can, and will, turn Metamor into a
> world dominating power within a century (at the slow rate of information
> and trade expansion in a trade wagon era)... if it's not beset upon from
> all sides for its riches.
>

Now that's a good point.  What is the value of Mithril? Is it 10x Gold?
100x Gold? possibly even 1000 times the value of Gold?

-AlexSurikat
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