SJ Coinage Postfest, Results! Pt 1

I've compiled the responses for the SJ Coinage postfest, and added a 
table at the bottom for GMs who wish to add these coins randomly to 
their game. :)

What is a postfest?  Basically, its an attempt on a discussion list 
devoted to a roleplaying setting, like the Spelljammer list, to 
generate new lore for the setting by encouraging all the list members 
to contribute a short post.  A theme is provided, and some simple 
guidelines.  Generally, the postfest lasts as long as folks post to 
it, and then, hopefully, some kind soul compiles all the posts into a 
pdf that can be downloaded for GMs to share.

I got the idea from the 'Plus One Postfest' that Eric Boyd suggested 
which ran on the Realms list.  That postfest produced 28 entries 
providing interesting names and histories for either a +1 weapon, +1 
shield, or +1 armor.  I particularly liked that the nature of that 
postfest made the results extremely useful for both AD&D and 3rd 
Edition GMs!

We've had something similar on the SJ list for SJ art items that 
produced a lot of entries.

Now, those who've been on the list recall my earlier 'Challenges' 
which eventually petered out.  They suffered, eventually, from a lack 
of entries and my own inability to keep up with running them 
properly.  The beauty of the postfest is, it runs til interest dies, 
and there is no real maintenance required. Plus, anyone can start 
one. The Unique SJ Challenges weren't a failure, they generated  over 
one hundred entries all now listed on Beyond the Moons, but I think 
this postfest idea may be a good way to continue that tradition. :)

Each has the following information to maximize value of the entry.

Origin of the Mint
Description of the Coins
Frequency of Occurence in Space
Notes

Coins systems can describe the coinage systems of homegrown realms, 
or official TSR/WOTC campaigns.

Arcane Platinum Trade Bars
Submitted by: Paul Westermeyer <westermeyer@????????.net>
Origin of the Mint: The Arcane.
Description of the Coins:
	Each of these bars is a 3" x 1.3" x 1.3" rectangle stamped 
with the symbol of a three petaled flower. They are usually worth 
1,000 gp each in Spelljammer-aware ports.
Frequency of Occurence in Space:  Arcane Trade Bars are fairly common in space.
Notes:
	Because they offer a portable mode of wealth, many 
adventurers who find large hoards go to an Arcane and have their 
wealth changed into these bars (the arcane charge a 5% fee,  which is 
a hefty income considering the large amounts involved.  On Bral they 
can also be purchased from the Royal Exchequer and they are usually 
used as the mode of payment when large sums are exchanged and a paper 
"credit" exchange is unwise or impractical.
         Shopkeepers and most common goods merchants can't accept 
them, of course, as they are too large to easily make change, and so 
the Arcane and other moneychangers make a nice profit changing such 
bars down to smaller currency as well.

Sembian Coins
Submitted by: Paul Westermeyer <westermeyer@????????.net>
Origin 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 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 (4595 OC), 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 the most common coins in Realmspace. 
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.

Iridian Coinage
Submitted by: Dreamer [dreamer@??????.?????.??.uk]
Origin of the Mint: Royal Iridian Mint
Description of the coins:
         Iridan mints gold, silver and copper coins, of very nearly 
pure metal. But, these are larger than conventional coins, and are 
often found broken into tenths, often called 'bits', or 'pieces', 
which typically have the same value as conventional gold (etc.) 
pieces of the same metal.
	These coins are the conventional short cylinder shape, marked 
with a royal face on one side, and dragon head in profile on the 
other side, the symbol of Iridan, with the name of the royal, and a 
date, since the founding of Iridan, about a thousand years ago. These 
coins are not milled.
	The people of Iridan have a strange attitude to coinage, and 
almost all (95%) have what seems to be almost a magical talent to 
assess the weight and quality of a handful of whatever coin metal. 
Some claim this is an ancient dragon blessing or curse, depending on 
who you ask. This means no royal or noble has got very far with 
adulterating the quality of the metal. Also, a piece of raw metal, of 
the right quality and weight, without any care as to its shape, is 
often treated as freely exchangeable for proper coin, or bits of coin.
	This means that the Iridians can be very rude about coinage 
from other lands, the quality of which can vary a lot, but their 
coinage is widely used and accepted, even in lands that don't know 
where Iridan is.
Frequency of Occurance in Space:
         Iridan would appear to be a groundling nation, on some 
obscure world in a not well known sphere. While people can't tell you 
much about it, they are happy to accept it's coinage, when it turns 
up, which is rare. Supposedly it is a great trading nation.
Notes:
         Iridan is a country in a home-brew campaign, run since the 
1970s. The people of Iridan are not spelljammers, but their coinage 
seems to get to a lot of places.

Ethwulden, Wovlyn Coins
Submitted by: Night_Druid [Night_Druid@??????????.net]
Origin of the Mint: The wovlyn kingdoms on the planet Ethwuld of 
Twilitespace in the Maelstrom mint these coins.  In the cities of 
Odburg and Volva City, in the kingdoms of Rulengar and Volva, 
respectively, are heavily protective mints that are the sources of 
these coins.
Description of the Coins:
	The wovlyn clans mint copper, silver, gold, and platinum 
coins. The value of these coins falls into the standards for like 
coins elsewhere.  The heads-side of the coin depicts the crest of the 
kingdom where it was minted.  For Rulengar, this is a two-headed 
dragon, while for Volva's crest is a rearing horse.  On the 
tails-side is an every-day commodity.  The wovlyn tend to think of 
themselves as down-to-earth people and this is reflected in their 
coins.  The tail-mints are as follows:
Copper: A loaf of bread
Silver: A mug of frosty ale
Gold: A sword held high
Platinum: A horse on the horizon
Frequency of Occurrence in Space: As the wovlyn kingdoms have 
increased their trade with wildspace cultures, these coins have 
spread throughout the Maelstrom and beyond.  They are most common on 
the planet Ethwuld, uncommon in the Maelstrom, and very rare in the 
rest of wildspace.
Notes:
	The wovlyn people encompass the kingdoms of Aramon, Lefton, 
the many Baronies and Duchies of Rulengar, and Volva.  They dominate 
the Middle Kingdoms of Ethwuld, at the juncture of three continents.

Silver Piece, Moonbright
Submitted By: Night_Druid [Night_Druid@??????????.net]
Origin of the Mint:  The secret of producing moonbrights is an elven 
secret, although some dwarves have also uncovered the secret and have 
minted their own coins. Dwarven coins are identical, except they have 
marks and crests of dwarven rulers rather than elves.  What is known 
about the process is that it involves mining silver from certain 
moons and enchanting them with a bit of magic and a lot of skill.
Description of the Coin:
	This rare variant of the silver piece is usually minted by 
the Elven Nations.  A moonbright appears as a plain silver coin, 
without mint nor markings.  Under the right lighting conditions 
(usually moonlight), shining white runes will appear on both sides of 
the silver piece, denoting the origin and era of the coin.  One side 
will bear the mark of an elven ruler, while the other bears the 
ruler's royal crest. The runes are about as bright as a candle and 
can be used as a light source in a pinch.
Frequency of Occurrence in Space:  These coins are rare and usually 
used for transactions between elven nobility.
Notes:
	Moonbrights vary greatly in value, depending on the age and 
rarity of the coin.  The Elven Fleet has a standard moonbright that 
carries a value of 5 gp.  A few years ago a moonbright auctioned for 
10,000 gp.  It is said to have dated back to the days of Ardeep on 
Toril.
	Rarely, some moonbrights contain riddles and clues to 
forgotten treasures in the runes they display.  On enterprising elven 
wizard is known to have printed spells on a handful of these coins, 
to be used as a backup spellbook.
	The proper elven term for these coins is Telepisil, literally 
"Silver of the Moon".

Tymoran Silver Coins
Submitted by: David Shepheard [david_shepheard@???????.com]
Origin of the Mint: The Church of Tymora, on Toril, Realmspace
Description of the Coins:
	These coins feature the face of Tymora, a smiling lady, 
surrounded by shamrocks. The reverse of the coin is identical. The 
edge of the coin features a wide milling. The workmanship on the 
coins is of very high quality and the coins always appear to be in 
mint condition. The coins are not intended to be used as money. They 
are actually miniature representations of Tymora's holy symbol (a 
silver coin) and are intended to be carried by worshipers of Tymora.
Frequency of Occurrence in Space:
     As they are not legal tender and have not been minted in large 
quantities, the coins are very rare, even in Realmspace. Collectors 
are most likely to obtain them on Toril itself and should search for 
them in Cormyr, the Dragon Coast, Impiltur, Sembia and the Vast, 
where Tymora worship is most common.
Notes:
	These coins are dismissed as standard silver pieces by those 
who do not know what they are, but a follower of Tymora will pay 25 
silver pieces for these coins that carry the blessing of Lady Luck.
	The coins were originally created to be turned into magical 
items and are of master-crafted quality. Not all the coins were 
enchanted and only a few of the coins still carry their enchantment. 
Those that do grant the power of good fortune to Tymora worshipers. 
(This power allows any worshiper possessing a coin to reroll one roll 
that they have just made. They must take the new result even if it is 
worse than the old one. The coin works once, after which it looses 
its power and becomes a non magical coin.)
	Because they are double-headed coins the coins occasionally 
attract the attention of con artists who call "heads I win tails you 
win" and then pull out a Tymoran silver piece. It is rumored that 
these coins swap places with a nearby silver coin if this is tried in 
Realmspace or any other crystal sphere where Tymora has a stronghold.
	Tymora is one of the deities in the Faerunian Pantheon. See 
"Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting" (3e) hardback page 253. See "The 
Complete Spacefarer's Handbook" (2e) page 103-104 for information 
about establishing clerical strongholds.

Continued in part 3