Wizard Currency

[J Raven]

The Queen is old, but she isn't that old...

Sorry, i meant whoever was on the throne at the time lol

[Maple_and_PheonixFeather]

Just because Canada and the USA use a dollar doesn't mean it is the same currency, but with different values. "Dollar" is one of the most common names for currencies around the world, so you should denote what kind of dollar you are talking about, like "USD" for the American Dollar, "AUD" for the Australian Dollar, and "CAD" for the Canadian dollar.

Just because discussing matters with you makes me use my brain in fun and challenging ways, I am going to discuss some more.

I personally feel them to be essentially the same thing, as in Canada, you can use US money all the time, usually at par (unless it is a government agency). They are treated the same way, and there is absolutely no difference between a Canadian penny, nickle, dime, or quarter besides the design. You can't, however, use the Euro or pounds or rupees in Canada. This probably makes no sense

Another thing was that though Krum says that Grindewald's attacks weren't as well known in Britain, people were still aware of it. As well, there is the Department for International Cooperation, and Gringotts is situated in many countries. Just some thoughts. I personally think that international wizard ties are not as weak as we think. We also know that students don't nessasarily have to go to school in their country (ie. Malfoy considering Durmstrang).


Here's a thought, maybe the Galleons are like the Euro?

[AidaLuthien]

It makes sense in border areas and between countries with friendly relations and with similar currencies to accept them at parity. Right now the CAD and USD are trading at about parity, the US and Canada have a long, friendly relationship and the US/Canada border is one of the longest unsecured borders in the world.

I don't think US/Canada relations can be considered normal for any other part of the world or should be extrapolated for the wizarding world.

It's possible that Galleons are like Euros and are a European standard, but while Gringott's seems to operate internationally, there's no sense of a European wizarding like the EU.

It makes more sense (and is more fun to me) to have a ton of different kinds of currency. It would also explain how the one time the size of money is described (a gold coin the size of a hub cap) yet doesn't fit how large Galleons appear to be in the movies.

My inclination with currency, as with government is to make things as complicated and unlike the Muggle world as possible. If you have a whole other world, why not take advantage of it?

[OliveOil_Med]

Galleons the size of hubcaps? That can't be right! How do you even carry around a coin that's bigger than your head?

Now I'm thinking about names for all these coins...names that sound made up but still vaguely French, German, Swedish, etc. Any ideas from all of you?

[Tim the Enchanter]

Galleons the size of hubcaps? That can't be right! How do you even carry around a coin that's bigger than your head?

The Muggle attendant at the QWC (I can't remember his name) was undoubtedly exaggerating, but Galleons have never been described as being so large as to be unusual. These "gold coins the size of hubcaps" could be some foreign wizard coins that could indeed be unusually large, prompting this bit of hyperbole.

Anyway, about foreign currencies, here's one I made up:

For Für Das Größere Wohl, I made up a German system of Griffins (Greif, pl. Greife) and Badgers (Dachs, pl. Dachse). The coins naturally bear images of their respective animals. Since the Germans have a stereotype of being efficient, I decided to make this wizarding currency slightly more logical than the Galleons/Sickles/Knuts system.

The terms Greife and Dachse don't actually refer to a specific coin like Galleons do, but rather to a specific value. I pegged the Greif to 3.25 Reichsmarks, or about £.28 or $1.30 at 1939 exchange rates. There are thirteen Dachse in a Greif, so a single Dachse is worth 25 Reichspfennig (.25 RM), or about £.02 or $.10 at 1939 rates. Owing to the relatively low value compared to the Galleon, and the fact that Greife and Dachse refer to values, there are therefore various coins bearing multiples of these values.

The Badger coins are bronze or silver, and are minted in the following denominations:

• 1/4 Dachs (bronze)
• 1 Dachs (bronze)
• 3 Dachse (bronze)
• 7 Dachse (silver)

The Griffen coins are silver or gold, and appear in the following denominations:

• 1 Greif (silver)
• 3 Greife (gold)
• 7 Greife (gold)

As part of Gellert Grindelwald's reforms, experimental parchment banknotes were introduced in 1930. Banknotes were originally printed by request at a bank, and could thus be printed to bear any value desired. After an unforeseen burst of counterfeiting and a subsequent crackdown (in which several people mysteriously disappeared), banknotes were heavily charmed and only printed in the following denominations:

• 20 Greife
• 50 Greife
• 100 Greife

Anyway, that's a short description and history of a currency I made up for one of my stories.

Now I'm thinking about names for all these coins...names that sound made up but still vaguely French, German, Swedish, etc. Any ideas from all of you?

Why settle for "vaguely" foreign sounding? Why not use the actual language? I would recommend settling on a theme – for example, different animals, with bigger and more impressive creatures being the higher denominations, and lowlier critters for the smaller coins. Then just get a language dictionary or online translator and find the foreign words for those different coins, and there you go.

Has anyone else made up a currency that they would like to share?

Tim the Enchanter

[Maple_and_PheonixFeather]

I enjoy your idea (About animals)

Ok so...
FRANCE! (J'adore le francais!)
From lowest to highest:
Souris
Élan
Fauvre

I was going to make a souris like equal to a knut, an Élan equal to a sickle and a fauvre equal to a galleon, but you could do it like, souris being 0.01, Élan being like $1 and Élan
being like $100, but my brain likes it easier in wizarding money

[Tim the Enchanter]

I enjoy your idea (About animals)

Ok so...
FRANCE! (J'adore le francais!)
From lowest to highest:
Souris
Élan
Fauvre

I was going to make a souris like equal to a knut, an Élan equal to a sickle and a fauvre equal to a galleon, but you could do it like, souris being 0.01, Élan being like $1 and Élan
being like $100, but my brain likes it easier in wizarding money

The moose doesn't strike me as a particularly French animal. I'm pretty sure that apart from zoos, France is definitely not one of the moose's natural habitats.

What exactly is a Fauvre?

If you want a semi-rational way to value these coins that still has a bit of Harry Potter flair, I would recommend a seven-base system: seven souris go into an Élan, and seven Élans make a Fauvre. Wizards seem to like the number seven.

It makes more sense (and is more fun to me) to have a ton of different kinds of currency. It would also explain how the one time the size of money is described (a gold coin the size of a hub cap) yet doesn't fit how large Galleons appear to be in the movies.

My inclination with currency, as with government is to make things as complicated and unlike the Muggle world as possible. If you have a whole other world, why not take advantage of it?

I suppose that's one of the best arguments for having lots of currencies – it's fun! I find half of the enjoyment in writing fanfics in different settings to just be the world-building.

Tim the Enchanter

[Tim the Enchanter]

While knife money would be interesting, it's wholly impractical and makes no sense with the history that I've worked out.

I might also add taels of gold and silver.

But... but... think about the knife money!

Seriously, how are knife-coins any less practical than taels of gold or silver?

Tim the Enchanter
really wants knife money...

PS: How did my post appear BEFORE Aida's?

[AidaLuthien]

But... but... think about the knife money!

Seriously, how are knife-coins any less practical than taels of gold or silver?

Tim the Enchanter
really wants knife money...

PS: How did my post appear BEFORE Aida's?

The post Nargles are back!

Knife coins are just too archaic to make sense given the history as I've worked it out. Taels aren't that huge, and I feel like they were used like bricks of gold are now... i.e. for effect, not for day to day transactions.

PS: WOAH!! My second post appeared BEFORE my first post. How is that even possible?? Post Nargles for the FAIL!!

[AidaLuthien]

Has anyone else made up a currency that they would like to share?

The only thing I know for sure about magical Chinese money for The Phoenix Revolution is that it's going to be called yuan... which is literally money. Sometimes the Chinese are not very inventive. The physical form will probably be strings of cash (copper coins with square holes).

Basically, I'm borrowing the old Muggle system.

While knife money would be interesting, it's wholly impractical and makes no sense with the history that I've worked out.

I might also add taels of gold and silver.