Currencies of Pandora

The ‘gold standard’ of Pandoran currency is not gold at all but the Cryn Crown, a large (about 4 cm in diameter) heavy (approximately 50 grams) coin made of nearly pure silver. The coin is stamped with the royal crown of the old Cryn monarchy on one side and an engraving of a galleon under full sail on the other side. Each crown is worth approximately $500/Euros in modern day currency. The coin is accepted everywhere on Pandora, not just the Continent of Cryn. Much like the British pound of the eighteenth century or the dollar of late 20th century, the coin is widely recognized and is used throughout the entire planet because of the reputation and strength of the currency.

The Veertor Imperial Crown, commonly known as an Imperial Eagle is similar in size and weight and is minted with the great dragon of Veer on one side and the portrait of the current emperor on the other side. Eagles, like Crowns, are made of silver, however depending on the year the coin was minted in its true value is somewhere between 50 and 60% of its Cryn counterpart. In Veertor it is illegal to exchange Eagles for Cryn crowns for anything other than a one-to-one rate (to do anything else would be to admit the malicious slander of the Cryn government was true.) However, the relative value of the two currencies is widely understood, and even Veer merchants will always prefer to be paid in crowns and to pay their obligations using Eagles.

In both Cryn and Veertor the names for the smaller coins are the same. The smaller denomination Veer coins are not as far apart in value as the Crowns/Eagles, but are often exchanged at 75% of their Cryn counterparts. A mark is worth one tenth of a crown, and a bit is worth one tenth of a mark. In modern money this makes each mark worth roughly five dollars/euros and each bit roughly a half dollar/euro. Occasionally items will be sold for less than a bit, and these small copper coins are cut into half-bits and quarter-bits.

In the island chains a wide range of different mediums of exchange are used, in addition to the cash of both Cryn and Veertor currencies (accepted at roughly half the Cryn value) trade in the islands also uses informal barter and but complex systems of lines of credit based primarily on personal reputation.