Money

In Middle-earth several different currencies are in use.Cultures who do not use coins, trade in goods but often use metal bars as a substitute.In fact the first coinage was likely invented by the Dwarves and originally developed out of very small, elaborate shaped, metal bars and later Medals and Amulets originally given away as Tokens.

Arnor and Gondor
The Kingdom of Gondor and most of the former provinces of Arnor preserve the ancient Númenorean currency:


 * Double-Dragon or ducat - Gold coin of the highest Value (approx. 0,16 ounces gold)
 * Mirian = gold coin (approx.0,04 ounces gold)
 * Castar (or Canath) = Silvercoin, 1 quarter of a Mirian (approx.0,01 ounces gold)
 * Tharni or silver farthing = 1 quarter of a Castar (0,28 ouces Silver)
 * silver penny (approx. 0,07 ounces silver)
 * Brass coins (Brasslings)  = 1/4 Silver Penny (approx. 1 ounce Brass)
 * copper coins (Copperlings) (approx. 0,28 ounces copper)

In times of need the Lords of the Westlands also often introduced necessity money, made of Tin (often 1 ounce Tin), Lead (often 0,01 ounces Lead) or Zinc (0,12 ounces Zinc).For small bargains people also often cutted greater coins into pieces and paid with hack-silver or even hack-copper.As everywhere purity and worth of the different coins could differ significant throughout the ages.


 * Tin-Coins = approx. 2 Tharni
 * Zinc-Coins = approx. 1/2 Copperling
 * Lead Coins = approx. 1/16 Copperling

Dwarves
The Mints of Moria are generally regarded the best of whole Endor.The Dwarves of Dúrin's folk emit only coims of Mithril, Naukomalda,common Gold, Naukotelpe and common Silver.

Currency translation:


 * 1 Dúrin's Coin of Mithril = 20 arthedainian gold pieces or 10 gondorian gold pieces
 * 1 Dúrin's Coin of High-Gold = 2 arthedainian gold pieces or 1 gondorian gold piece
 * 1 Dúrin's Coin of common Gold = 1 arthedainian gold coin or 10 gondorian silverpennies
 * 1 Dúrin's Coin of High-Silver = 2 arthedainian silverpennies or 2 gondorian silverpennies
 * 1 Dúrin's Coin of common Silver = 1 arthedainian or gondorian silverpenny

Northmen of Rhovanion
The Northrons rely mostly on simple barter trade, but some more influential northron Lords, as the Kings of Dale have also started to emit coins, mostly imitations of gondorian exemplars.An example is the coinage of Esgaroth.The Lake-men emit the Lake-town-Coin, a half-penny worth 10 gondorian copperlings.

Rohan
The Rohirrim use gondorian currency as well as their own Penning-coin.


 * Penning = 1 silver Penny (approx. 0,07 ounces silver)

Dorwinion
The Dorwinrim use gondorian currency as well as their own high-value ivory-coin, the Kysûri.


 * Kysûri = 2 tharni

Harad
The Haradrim use their own currency of Harmîr or gold- and bronce-rings as well as Shell-money (sea-shells, often in the form of necklaces).A few of the former black númenórean Colonies and former gondorian puppet-rulers have also preserved coinage (mostly imitations of Númenórean mint).The best known Haradrim-coinage are those from Tûl Isra and Tûl Harar.

Tûl Isra Coins:
 * 1 Saris (Silver) = 10 Sort
 * 1 Sort (Bronze) = 10 Garn
 * 1 Garn (Copper) = 1 Copper-Penny (northern currency)

Tûl Harar Coins:
 * 1 Kesh (Gold) = 5 Ged
 * 1 Ged (Jade) = 20 Kos
 * 1 Kos (Silver) = 10 Sort
 * 1 Sort (Bronze) = 10 Garn
 * 1 Garn (copper) = 1 northern copper-Penny

the dark Lands
The Dark Lord has imitated númenórean coinage for a long time and emitted his own currency among his vassal-kings, but most Men of Darkness still rely on simple barter trade.

MERP
MERP has Gold, Silver, Bronze, Copper and Tin Coins.The default Values are:1 gold = 1 gold, 10 silver = 1 gold 10 bronze = 1 silver,10 copper = 1 bronze,10 tin = 1 copper.

The Rohirrim use the Pening-Coin, equivalent to one Silvercoin.The Dorwinians use the Kysûri Ivory-Money, the Haradrim use Gold and Brass Rings and Shell-money, but umbarean Coins are also mentioned.

LotRRPG
LOTR RPG has five coinage Types: copper penny, ,silver penny, silver piece, gold penny and gold piece.It uses the classic relation of value mentioned in J.R.R. Tolkien's Books: 1 Goldpiece = 4 Gold Pennies, 1 Goldpenny = 4 Silverpieces, 1 Silverpiece = 4 Silverpennies with the exception of the copperpenny which is = 100 Silverpennies.

Much of the default prices mentioned in the corebook is based on research, for example a Pony in Bree costs exactly four silverpennies- the exact price mentioned in the Book the Lord of the Rings.

LOTRO
In LOTRO there are several different types of coin, bronze, Copper, Silver, rift-iron, Gold, Platinum and Mithril.There are also different currencies mentioned, Arnorian Coins, Coins of the Hand, Coins of the Mark, Dwarf-coins.Coins are also often not simple money but special Tokens and Talismans("Lucky coin", "Coin of Spirit", "Coin of Courage", "Frostbluff Coins" etc.)

LOTRO uses a System in which 1 Gold has the worth of = 1,000 Silver and 1 Silver the worth = 100 Copper.