Coinage Postfest: Sembian Coins

Sembian Coins.

Orgin of the Mint:  The Guarded Gate national mint, located in the
center of the capital city of Ordulin in Sembia.  Sembia is located
in Faerun on the planet Toril in Realmspace.

Description of the coins:
        Sembia mints gold, electrum, silver, and iron coins.  The
values are generally standard, but Sembian iron pieces are valued at
1 cp in Sembia, and elsewhere in Faerun, but generally are less then
half a copper in Wildpsace.

Sembian coins have distinctive shapes:
Gold pieces - five sided (often called 'nobles')
Electrum pieces - diamond shaped
Silver pieces - triangular (often called 'ravens')
Iron pieces - square

        All Sembian coins are stamped with the Raven and Silver (a
raven with wings outstretched above five silver coins) arms of Sembia
on one side, and the date of the minting on the obverse beneath the
face of Rauthauvyr the Raven, founder of Sembia.  Sembia was founded
in 913 Dale Reckoning, so all Sembian coins bear a date after that.
        Sembia does not mint platinum coins but instead mints
silver/copper trade bars in 5 gp, 10 gp, 25 gp, and 50 gp
denominations.  Each trade bar is stamped with the Sembian arms and
the minting date.

Frequency of Occurence in Space:
        Sembian coins are very common in Realmspace, perhaps the most
common coins found there in fact.  Elsewhere in Wildspace Sembian
coins are uncommon, but not rare.

Notes:
        Sembia is one of the great merchant kingdoms of the Forgotten Realms.
See _Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting_ boxed set, 'A Grand tour of
the Realms', pages 26-27 and page 58.  Also _Forgotten Realms
Adventures_ pages 96-97.


--
"...How shall a man judge what to do in such times?!"
"As he has ever judged," said Aragorn "Good and evil have not changed
since yesteryear..."
J.R.R. Tolkien, _The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers_

Paul Westermeyer,  westermeyer@????????.net