Hey, there! :) I'm starting this thread because I'm interested in coinage and trade goods in fantasy rpgs. We all know about the "traditional" coinage used in D&D. For example:
* Copper
* Silver
* Gold
* Platinum
In addition to these, I'm interested in minted coins of other metals, and am looking for ideas for names of coins drawn from history. I'm also curious about common trade goods that could be used in fantasy settings. Any ideas?
Some thoughts I have for new coin metals in my campaign...
* Billon: It's a metal alloy containing mostly copper or bronze with a small quantity of silver. I figure it could be a fairly common coin, with a value greater than copper pieces, but less valuable than silver.
* Brass: This is an alloy of copper and zinc. I'd probably give this a lower denomination than a copper piece.
* Electrum: This metal is a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver, containing trace amounts of copper and other metals. It's sometimes called "white gold", and has been produced artificially. Electrum hasn't really been seen in D&D since the "old school" days, when AD&D was King. 3e abandoned this metal, possibly to make coin currencies more "organized" or something. That's a shame. I'd give it a value somewhere in between silver and gold...
More thoughts to come soon...
What is the real world objective though?
If you look at actual currency you only get odd alloys and stuff (or aluminium coins from Rumania in the 80s ) when the value of the coin is entirely symbolic. If you move towards the value of the coin being symbolic then alloys of nickle and zinc get popular because they are so resilient. Of course by that point you have paper money as well as a promisory note from a merchant house in London is much easier to carry to Constantinople that 3 chests of gold coin.
Using funny metals just for the sake of it is a bit meh... really people just make smaller coins, so an old copper penny was big and heavy so they created half-pennys, farthings, etc etc. A shilling versus a half crown etc
I never liked how D&D refers to the denominations as the metal types officially.
We may call pennies coppers but that's coloquial.
When I run dugeon fantasy I use...
Groats (Bronze)
Shekels (Silver)
Gelds (Gold)
I like electrum and use it a lot. In my campaigns, it is typically found in treasure hoards from antiquity - so if the characters find it, they know they have uncovered something old.
Sacrificial bulls are also a common expression of value (at 30 gp each), for their use in placating the gods. And there are also "hundredweights" of gold for the same purpose, although they can simply be sufficient coinage.
GURPS' Best of Pyramid 1 (http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/pyramid1/) and Low-Tech Companion 3: Daily Life and Economics (http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=SJG37-1663) are both great resources for this kind of thing. It's sad that BoP 1 isn't out in PDF, because the article on low-tech economies is great.
Here's what I use in my current fantasy game:
QuoteDwarven Currency
The lowest form of dwarven currency is the copper dowel, worth $.0.50 in GURPS terms. The next coin up is the silver mark, worth $2, and then the glowstone clanmark worth $10. Dwarven coins are not round, but instead are rectangular chits about half an inch long, ornately decorated on all sides to discourage shaving and counterfeiting.
Elven Currency
Elves do not mint coins, and have a general disdain for abstract currency. They use reciprocity within their own borders, and barter when dealing with outsiders. The Exiles have been known to trade in Imperial currency, but the elves of Cerrania generally will not.
Orcish Currency
The most common orcish coin is the orcish flint, a triangular coin of cut stone lined with silver, worth $0.25 in GURPS terms. The next coin up is the shield, a larger triangular coin lined with gold, worth $1.
Imperial Currency
Imperial currency is the standard throughout most of the Four Kingdoms.
The most common Imperial coin is the silver talon, worth $1 in GURPS terms. The next coin up is the gold imperial sovereign, worth $20, and the eagle's crown, worth $50. The coins are octagonal and emblazoned with the symbol of whatever House was in power at the time of its minting.
Dwarven dowel: $0.50
Dwarven silver mark: $2
Dwarven clanmark: $10
Orcish flint: $0.25
Orcish shield: $1
Imperial talon: $1
Imperial sovereign: $20
Imperial eagle's crown: $50
I bought some of these (http://www.campaigncoins.com/store/silvercoins.html) as props and they're fun. Nothing like tossing an actual bag of coins to a player as you're cutting a deal.
For ease of use:
Copper, Silver, and Gold
1 gold = 10 silver = 100 copper
For more history based, just use silver pennies for what's in circulation and the larger amounts are "accounting" coins, not in circulation, just on the books.
Quote from: Ian Warner;467197I never liked how D&D refers to the denominations as the metal types officially.
We may call pennies coppers but that's coloquial.
When I run dugeon fantasy I use...
Groats (Bronze)
Shekels (Silver)
Gelds (Gold)
Cool. I read that the groat was historically a silver coin, so I figured I'd step outside of historical boundaries a bit and have mine made of billon (mostly bronze, a little silver).
Quote from: jibbajibbaWhat is the real world objective though?
If you look at actual currency you only get odd alloys and stuff (or aluminium coins from Rumania in the 80s ) when the value of the coin is entirely symbolic. If you move towards the value of the coin being symbolic then alloys of nickle and zinc get popular because they are so resilient. Of course by that point you have paper money as well as a promisory note from a merchant house in London is much easier to carry to Constantinople that 3 chests of gold coin.
Using funny metals just for the sake of it is a bit meh... really people just make smaller coins, so an old copper penny was big and heavy so they created half-pennys, farthings, etc etc. A shilling versus a half crown etc
Well, I still intend to use the regular coinage (copper, silver, gold), but want to add in other types of coins, and name them (farthing, bit, groat, geld, etc). I guess I'd like to provide a reason for coins other than gold to be used. Once characters are above 1st-level in D&D 3.x, non-gold coins are almost worthless, and practically never used. I'd like to change that. I'm thinking that maybe a suit of chainmail or a magic potion could be worth a gold piece or so, so that anyone throwing around gold coins would be considered "wealthy".
Quote from: MelanI like electrum and use it a lot. In my campaigns, it is typically found in treasure hoards from antiquity - so if the characters find it, they know they have uncovered something old.
I like electrum too, and wish to see its return in the game.
Quote from: MelanSacrificial bulls are also a common expression of value (at 30 gp each), for their use in placating the gods. And there are also "hundredweights" of gold for the same purpose, although they can simply be sufficient coinage.
Interesting..
Quote from: Insufficient MetalI bought some of these as props and they're fun. Nothing like tossing an actual bag of coins to a player as you're cutting a deal.
I saw those. They look real nice, and I'd like to see 'em firsthand.... :)
I understand the "ease of use" argument for coinage conversions in D&D, but it always struck me as somewhat off-kilter that all "modern" AND ancient societies used the same coins and exchange rates, essentially. Bash in a box in a 1,000 year old dungeon and you get the same silvers you'd get from a merchant in the nearby town, for example. That's why I like the suggestions for different coinages for different societies mentioned up-thread a bit.
Maybe a better sytem would be tracking treasure by weight rather than coin type, but I guess that would seem to be an unnecessary level of complexity for games that are more dungeon-crawkls than sandboxes.
While it is easy to use, I've nevertheless grown rather cold towards Ye Olde gold piece / silver piece / copper piece with change ratios of 10.
In one campaign I'm running (presently on hiatus), 1 gold Mark is 20 Scyllings, and each Scylling is 12 Sceats. If you're in the lands of the Seax and the Daans, that is. In Ermora, you'd have the gold Solidus, which is worth Denarii, each of which is equal to 4 Sestertii.
In another, upcoming campaign, the universally accepted coinage will be minted of alchemical metals, the creation methods of which are long lost. So if you're one of the lucky few who know how to, you can squeeze magic directly out of your money, no need to spend it on magic items!
For some reason, I don't like the name "electrum". It makes me think of modern things; electricity, I guess. It just ruins the fantasy vibe for me.
Be that as it may, the very first currency was electrum. Putting it into ancient hoards makes a lot of sense from a real world perspective in addition to being a nice little nod to older editions.
In many ancient societies, sheep and cattle were the standard medium of exchange. Not that they could be used as a currency, but this was a typical way to calculate wealth, and a common gift. Prior to currency (and long after its introduction), gift-giving was a prevalent way to move wealth around.
the Greeks started out using Lydian coins (at first electrum, but later silver and gold) but later, cities started minting their own (mostly) silver currency. In a way, when a city minted its own coinage it was a sign that it had "arrived", perhaps similar to a modern city building an international airport.
For a time Athenian coins were very widespread, because the amount of silver in a single coin was so reliable. Later, when they fell on hard times, they debased their currency and it became less popular. The smallest Athenian coin was the Obol. Six Obols made a Drachma (literally, "a handful")
Quote from: Premier;467258While it is easy to use, I've nevertheless grown rather cold towards Ye Olde gold piece / silver piece / copper piece with change ratios of 10.
In one campaign I'm running (presently on hiatus), 1 gold Mark is 20 Scyllings, and each Scylling is 12 Sceats. If you're in the lands of the Seax and the Daans, that is. In Ermora, you'd have the gold Solidus, which is worth Denarii, each of which is equal to 4 Sestertii.
I would love to do this, but my player's enthusiasm for such things is, shall we say, significantly less than my own.
Whilst. I am not in favour of different an unusual alloys for coin I am very keen on different coins and typically pcs in my games will always face the evils of the street of moneychangers to convert their gold nobles to local crowns or thallers. Then its all about local exchange rates base metal in the coin etc
Also in my games I tend to run currency at a simple convertion so 1sp -s a pound in value. That way the party know that a room in a nice tavern might cost 30spbut ion pleasure place they can pay 300 a night ..... This ensures they never have any money at all.
In Moragne, the only kind of money that is actually minted are silver pennies. Every other kind of money is notional or derives from it. A half-penny is one half of a penny that has been cut in two. 240 pennies make a pound, which is used for accounting and does not actually exist. I find this to be one of the easier systems I've ever used in a game.
One other thing that we've started to adopt in my group is trending towards prescious stones for portable wealth rather than hundreds of pounds of copper. In the campaign I'm prepping now, wealth will be quite a bit less than the typical D&D setting, and most of it will be in items/goods (non-magical, but high-quality) and gemstones (the finest of which will have actual magical properties).
Quote from: Sacrificial Lamb;467251Cool. I read that the groat was historically a silver coin, so I figured I'd step outside of historical boundaries a bit and have mine made of billon (mostly bronze, a little silver).
I chose the name Groat because in a British folky context the word was used coloquially for a paltry amont well past when they stopped being issued.
Quote from: Werekoala;467271One other thing that we've started to adopt in my group is trending towards prescious stones for portable wealth rather than hundreds of pounds of copper. In the campaign I'm prepping now, wealth will be quite a bit less than the typical D&D setting, and most of it will be in items/goods (non-magical, but high-quality) and gemstones (the finest of which will have actual magical properties).
What kind of magical properties?
Quote from: jibbajibba;467269Whilst. I am not in favour of different an unusual alloys for coin I am very keen on different coins and typically pcs in my games will always face the evils of the street of moneychangers to convert their gold nobles to local crowns or thallers. Then its all about local exchange rates base metal in the coin etc
My problem is even getting the PCs to convert their gold in the first place, as the money they carry is usually an afterthought. I need to give the local currency more "flavor" somehow, and modify the prices on the equipment tables to make it so that gold is not the only currency regularly encountered..
My favourite wacko currency system in an FRP game is the one in Senzar. I've mentioned this before but it was based on the 'Zengaran Silver Star' and looked like this (as printed on the character sheet).
Leds = .01 Stars
Kops = .1 Stars
Stars = 1 Star
Crowns = 10 Stars
Eagles = 100 Stars
Black Pearls = 1,000 Stars
Black Diamonds = 10,000 Stars
If you're using a more historical model, however, I'd recommend the (free) supplement Coins of Fletnern for LegendQuest as a resource.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=59424
Trade Goods: For quasi-historical trade goods: the first things that come to mind for me are salt (as used by the romans), spices, and iron (though this runs into weird problems in D&D due to the Wall of Iron spell).
If I recall you're something of a 2E buff SL, so I might recommend The Viking Campaign Sourcebook? .. summarizing in brief, it has exchange rates for slaves (10 oz of silver) and Icelandic cloth (6 yards = 1 oz of silver), and mentions that it was commonish to have vikings wearing armbands of silver and the like that could be hacked up by weight, as well as using silver rings: foreign coins (arab dirhams or English pennies and whatnot) had value based on weight. It vaguely mentions cattle, sheep, land, ships, and fish as barter items. Doesn't list details but often historically cattle had a pretty high value (e.g. the Celts had an approximate exchange rate of 1 female slave = 3 cows). I think Arabs had a similarly unflattering exchange rate with camels.
As well as electrum, in some worlds I have seen orichalcum prized highly. Generally speaking it's worth little more than brass, but in some places is highly valued for it's magical properties - putting it's worth somewhere between gold and platinum.
For ancient coinage, electrum, orichalcum and platinum are my go-to's.
Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;467334My favourite wacko currency system in an FRP game is the one in Senzar. I've mentioned this before but it was based on the 'Zengaran Silver Star' and looked like this (as printed on the character sheet).
Leds = .01 Stars
Kops = .1 Stars
Stars = 1 Star
Crowns = 10 Stars
Eagles = 100 Stars
Black Pearls = 1,000 Stars
Black Diamonds = 10,000 Stars
If you're using a more historical model, however, I'd recommend the (free) supplement Coins of Fletnern for LegendQuest as a resource.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=59424
Trade Goods: For quasi-historical trade goods: the first things that come to mind for me are salt (as used by the romans), spices, and iron (though this runs into weird problems in D&D due to the Wall of Iron spell).
If I recall you're something of a 2E buff SL, so I might recommend The Viking Campaign Sourcebook? .. summarizing in brief, it has exchange rates for slaves (10 oz of silver) and Icelandic cloth (6 yards = 1 oz of silver), and mentions that it was commonish to have vikings wearing armbands of silver and the like that could be hacked up by weight, as well as using silver rings: foreign coins (arab dirhams or English pennies and whatnot) had value based on weight. It vaguely mentions cattle, sheep, land, ships, and fish as barter items. Doesn't list details but often historically cattle had a pretty high value (e.g. the Celts had an approximate exchange rate of 1 female slave = 3 cows). I think Arabs had a similarly unflattering exchange rate with camels.
I have the Viking Campaign Sourcebook. It's good, and has interesting ideas. I'll have to check it out again. But yeah.....armbands, rings, and whatnot are cool. Maybe the characters could bring goats and sheep into the dungeons, and use 'em to set off traps. :)
Trade items you mentioned, and others..
* cows
* sheep
* goats
* chickens
* horses
* pigs
* salt
* pepper
* tobacco
* fish
* slaves
* armbands
* rings
* gems/precious stones
Quote from: Sacrificial Lamb;467295What kind of magical properties?
I'm thinking I'll look into the "historical" proposed properties of gemstones (for example: http://www.mrbead.com/MrBead/stonelist6.htm) from various cultures and see how I can adjust them to D&D terms, mostly as used in jewelry or slotted into items to imbue them with magical abilities. In this setting, anything beyond a +1 item, potions, or scrolls is going to have to be made, found, or modified with gemstones. Not exactly "low magic" but "harder magic", as far as items are concerned.
MRQ slaine has a mixed money system, starting with various livestock, then da wimmins, then big bulky precious metal bars, i think. (at work now, and not sure which box i packed that book in, lol). was neat to see the exchange rates for all those things.
Quote from: Sacrificial Lamb;467305My problem is even getting the PCs to convert their gold in the first place, as the money they carry is usually an afterthought. I need to give the local currency more "flavor" somehow, and modify the prices on the equipment tables to make it so that gold is not the only currency regularly encountered..
Well that is actually pretty easy they hoick out some old gold coins from a dungeon and spend them in the local town. But of course the local currency has been devalued a dozen times and these gold coins with dragon heads on them are pure. Every trader in town will be turning up to clear them out and rip em off.
If you don't like that one then do the old one where the first time they try to spend a gold dragon the merchant sends out to the city guard cos the gold dragon is the currency of an enemy city state and everyone thinks the party are spies.
Money is actually very interesting. If you lieka good yarn then read The Baroque Trillogy all sorts of interesting ideas about early comerce and wealth in there.
Coins are pieces of metal with designs stamped into them by the ruling authorities. So a gold piece is not just a gold piece, something found in the underworld might be a 1000 year old coin of Bungleland with a motto in Old Wiskish to a now-forbidden god. And even if the local merchant might overlook that because its still shiny, it's probably of an odd weight and unknown purity.
Quote from: Sacrificial Lamb;467190Hey, there! :) I'm starting this thread because I'm interested in coinage and trade goods in fantasy rpgs. We all know about the "traditional" coinage used in D&D. For example:
I found that a two coin system works great for a fantasy RPG. One everyday coin and another of far greater value. Inspired by Harn and history I use the following.
1d = 1 silver penny = 256 to 1lb.
1 gold crown = 320d = 16 to 1 lb (1 ounce)
Elves and Dwarves are known to mint gold pennies
1 gold penny = 20d = 256 to 1 lb.
Some cultures that doesn't have much gold use the silver mark as their large value.
1 silver mark = 240d = 1 lb.
Note that I round the pennies to 250 to 1 lb. The discrepancy between the mark and 256 silver pennies is because the mark is a solid silver bar while the coins are slightly debased to make them more durable. So a pound of silver yields 256 coins.
The basic principle is that standards coins are minted no smaller than 256 to 1lb. That 20 silver units equal 1 gold unit. Using these rules you can make up a coinage system of arbitrary complexity. However historically people just wound up weighing coinage to figure how much gold or silver they contained. In certain coinage this is was not done for certain coins in various countries because their mints were known to be reliable. Which coins got this treatment depended on the country and the century.
I found that D&D pieces are roughly equivalent to Harn Prices if you convert them to silver. Although I generally read gp for magic items and costs as d. This is because of the higher magic level of my campaign and because Harn wages are much lower than D&D wages. For GURPS 1d = $4.
Been busy.
Have not been able to post.
Funny about the electrum.
Great minds, etc.
Trabler and much of the Cradle lands of Celtricia are on the electrum standard, (http://celtricia.pbworks.com/w/page/14956687/what-money-can-buy)
Quote from: The_Shadow;467447Coins are pieces of metal with designs stamped into them by the ruling authorities. So a gold piece is not just a gold piece, something found in the underworld might be a 1000 year old coin of Bungleland with a motto in Old Wiskish to a now-forbidden god. And even if the local merchant might overlook that because its still shiny, it's probably of an odd weight and unknown purity.
Actually, in most of my authorities, they only take certain coins per order and other stuff has to be changed.
Then again, I'm sort of in an age of enlightenment era.
carry on...
I like copper, bronze, silver and gold. Silver is the standard coin. Platinum is strictly used for jewelry. The Dwarves use similar coinage and also have a series of uniform gems for big transactions. The Elves use special woods that are dyed as 'coins'. Though they have a rather communist economic structure.
Well, in running Birthright, money is a huge issue for my PCs. Since the province governor PC has access to the treasury, as well as receives 2000 gold pieces minimum per annum for management, you'd think he's in the clear, living it up. However, think about it -- it's a huge headache!
Responsibility for one province out of a larger realm -- which trades with other neighboring realms and far distant lands -- wealth suddenly becomes more than just coinage. In kind contributions, gift systems, calculation of scuttage from fiefdoms, letters of credit, etc. it all shows up. It's all one big (FUN!) mess of appraising, negotiating, warehousing, and managing. My PC governor is up to his eyeballs in backlog (all the more reason to delegate to hirelings and find lieutenants!).
And storing things in one localized "convenient coin pile" becomes downright silly when you have two towns and a fistful of villages to manage. In fact, in many ways it's safer when left unconverted. For example, grain bushels, corvee labor, and cinnamon logs are far harder for pirates and thieves to steal and fence than coinage. Sure you can fortify a mint and treasury, and staff it with soldiers galore -- or you can just build silos and exchange notes/messengers.
So I say be creative! Throw in objets d'art, sumptuous textiles, cacao beans, and cowrie shells. Let promissory notes, illuminated indulgences, or jeweled emblems of political favor show up. The wonderful part of unusual bits of "currency" is that They Become Plot Hooks. As a GM nothing is nicer than latent plot hooks for your PCs to sink their teeth into.
Edit: I do keep the conceit of a single base conversion for some simplicity's sake. Copper/Silver/Electrum/Gold/Platinum becomes Dime/Dollar/Fiver/Ten/Fifty (or whatever floats your boat) as a basic yardstick of measure. And any conversions are expressed OOC this way. Naturally IC you might have to negotiate for better exchange rates, but to keep the headache to a minimum OOC I try to keep it consistent. I'm not *that* mean of a GM.
Quote from: The_Shadow;467447Coins are pieces of metal with designs stamped into them by the ruling authorities. So a gold piece is not just a gold piece, something found in the underworld might be a 1000 year old coin of Bungleland with a motto in Old Wiskish to a now-forbidden god. And even if the local merchant might overlook that because its still shiny, it's probably of an odd weight and unknown purity.
I'm no expert, but I think you're oversimplifying to the point of being incorrect.
What you describe
is the situation today: you can't pay with a US Dollar in the UK. But that's because modern money is
fiat money. A 1 Dollar bill is worth one dollar not because the raw materials used in its creation (the paper and paint) are worth one dollar (they're not), but because the US government has a law which says "this piece of paper is worth one dollar's worth of goods". And, of course, other governments have no obligation to oblige.
Antiquity/medieval coinage, on the other hand, had intrinsic value. A gold coin weighting X grains was worth X grains of gold (assuming equal purity). If you had a one pound heavy bag full of silver coins, you could buy exactly one pound of silver bullion (discounting the bag's own weight).
This essay (http://www.uo2000.com/articles/mh7_europe.htm), which was just what cropped up first in Google, says that while there
were local coinages that didn't see much travel, this was by no means the universal case. Money at large did travel around quite a lot, and professional moneychangers (or, I guess, even merchants dealing across the borders) had no problem keeping track of relative coin values. Eventually, nearby countries would eventually sign treaties to agree on monetary standards - same weight and purity, even though the designs would still be individual to the countries.
So, to sum it up,
you're wrong. :P
Quote from: Opaopajr;467501Well, in running Birthright, money is a huge issue for my PCs. Since the province governor PC has access to the treasury, as well as receives 2000 gold pieces minimum per annum for management, you'd think he's in the clear, living it up. However, think about it -- it's a huge headache!
When you're dealing with maintenance costs for realms, it really can be a headache....especially if not everything is paid for in "hard" currency, like coins.
Quote from: OpaopajrResponsibility for one province out of a larger realm -- which trades with other neighboring realms and far distant lands -- wealth suddenly becomes more than just coinage. In kind contributions, gift systems, calculation of scuttage from fiefdoms, letters of credit, etc. it all shows up. It's all one big (FUN!) mess of appraising, negotiating, warehousing, and managing. My PC governor is up to his eyeballs in backlog (all the more reason to delegate to hirelings and find lieutenants!).
And storing things in one localized "convenient coin pile" becomes downright silly when you have two towns and a fistful of villages to manage. In fact, in many ways it's safer when left unconverted. For example, grain bushels, corvee labor, and cinnamon logs are far harder for pirates and thieves to steal and fence than coinage. Sure you can fortify a mint and treasury, and staff it with soldiers galore -- or you can just build silos and exchange notes/messengers.
So I say be creative! Throw in objets d'art, sumptuous textiles, cacao beans, and cowrie shells. Let promissory notes, illuminated indulgences, or jeweled emblems of political favor show up. The wonderful part of unusual bits of "currency" is that They Become Plot Hooks. As a GM nothing is nicer than latent plot hooks for your PCs to sink their teeth into.
Edit: I do keep the conceit of a single base conversion for some simplicity's sake. Copper/Silver/Electrum/Gold/Platinum becomes Dime/Dollar/Fiver/Ten/Fifty (or whatever floats your boat) as a basic yardstick of measure. And any conversions are expressed OOC this way. Naturally IC you might have to negotiate for better exchange rates, but to keep the headache to a minimum OOC I try to keep it consistent. I'm not *that* mean of a GM.
If I'm remembering correctly, PCs in Birthright had to deal with assets, holdings, and domains...which had maintenance costs. The maintenance costs were measured in gold bars. A gold bar was about the equivalent of 2,000 gp.
I do still want to make the conversion rate for coins recognizable and manageable for "normal" D&D players, but I've also been thinking of reintroducing paper currency as well. I used to have it my campaign....a long time ago. The paper currency would only be accepted in the more "civilized" areas, of course...but copper, silver, and gold is good almost everywhere.
I was even thinking of introducing these piddly "Fool's Gold" coins introduced by Leprechauns. As a practical joke of nearly cosmic proportions, they managed to get them accepted as legal tender on multiple kingdoms after transforming most of the Dwarven Treasury into Fool's Gold. Needless to say, the Dwarves don't like the Leprechauns very much... :)
Yes, Birthright uses Gold Bars which are 2,000 gold pieces. And only palaces and fortifications (which can be on province castles or holdings) really had a GB maintenance cost. Holdings generally produced GB in taxation, trade and specials. The PC just received a GB/yr as a yearly wage free and clear -- and managing just that required forethought. A smelted gold bar plopped in his rucksack was impractical. "Here, have a gold bar! So, where ya gonna put it? Under your pillow?" Chests filled with coins are not much better. Keeping it as accounting credit among the admittedly nascent bureaucracy has been vy far the best solution.
Remember too, jewelry -- just like hacksilver -- is still used as currency in the world. Gold bangle bracelets are still used among bedouins as money. A few desert commissaries just have a test stone and a troy scale and customer/wife runs the transaction rapidly selecting a close weight in bangles. Also coinage has been woven into belts, even armor suits, so loose change is not the only way to represent precious metal currency.
And then there's parts of the world that gold/silver/copper were so sacred and ceremonial that they didn't function as part of the formal economy. So, sometimes precious metal coinage becomes either not as useful, or a liability if held by non-vested people. Those sort of roadblocks, which can piss off PCs if sandbagged upon them without warning, can be good world flavor if introduced judiciously. There's always border cultures and cities between such transitional economic boundaries. Would make for a great story where the PCs do a caravanserai of high valued caged chickens. During raids PCs would holler about "saving the chickens!" That line alone would warm my evil GM heart...
;)
To me one of the big things is not to overcomplicate matters, even in a historical game, but much less a fantasy RPG. Even so, making a point of not just having generic "GP", but rather calling them by some name (shillings, ducats, whatever) can make a big difference; if you want, you can have different nations require money-changing for different currencies, though this can quickly turn into a diminishing return as the book-keeping players have to do takes away from the value of the emulative effect.
RPGPundit
What Premier said.
Also a contract isn't even required, if one country is a major player and the other one not so much. In this situation it just makes sense to adjust your standards to their level.
That's what happened under Roman hegemony for example.