Being a crossroads of greater elven civilisation, settlements all across Cormanthyr have spelljamming elves of the Imperial Navy spending currency from many far-flung realms and worlds. Collecting rare and exotic alien coins has become an idle passtime among elven nobles.

The individual city-states of Calimshan each mint their own coins, but they can all be found throughout in the country and elsewhere in the realms. Red Worms are cast from silver and coated with an ochre dye, old coins with the dye worn off are known locally as "skinned worms".

Conversely, the coins of long-lost, legendary lands and centers of great magic (Netheril and Cormanthyr in particular) are highly sought-after, anyone finding them would be wise to sell them to collectors, rather than just spending them in the market.

Folk of some lands (most notably Halruaa and Thay) are known to use the currencies of other realms when trading abroad, because their own coins and tokens are feared to be magically cursed and are thus often shunned by others.

Unless otherwise noted (*) all these coins are accepted at face value (perhaps with some grumbling) anywhere in the Forgotten Realms.

Cormyr

Cormyrian Falcons and Sembian Hawks are such similar triangular silver coins, they are often used interchangeably, to the increasing economic frustration of the Sembian government who have tried to end the practise by replacing Hawks with a new iron Steelpence.

Kara-Tur

Unrecognised coins are often declared to come from "the mystical empire of Shou Lung". Of course most are not even from Kara-Tur and removing imperial coinage is a quite serious crime, but the saying has still become widespread across the Forgotten Realms.

Maztica

The cocoa beans, copper blades and wax-sealed quills of gold dust that pass for currency in Maztica are not accepted as such outside of the True World, but they are usually easy to convert. The value of a cocoa bean varies somewhat depending on local demand, but the bitter chocolate it produces has become hugely popular across the realms and cocoa beans are widely accepted to be worth 1 cp each.

Myth Drannor

The 3 sets of coins they minted are functionally identical, but each has major social connotations. One set were used by commoners and tradesmen and one set by nobles and royalty. The third set of coins are extremely rare, only 1,000 of each were minted before being discontinued due to the uncomfortable way they seemed to display the relative value that the elves place on the different races.

Netheril

Netherese coins all had a magical essence incorporated into their design and manufacture, partly to prevent counterfeiting.

Thurhn are octagonal platinum coins with twin lightning bolts crossed over a mountin on the obverse and the minting year on the reverse. They are considered Common magic items.

Pyramid coins of the netherese triumvirate have holographic images of a flying city above a forested landscape on the reverse and a bust of Nether the Elder on the obverse, with the minting year at the bottom and the words E Magicus Unum along the top. Under the left side of the bust a letter designates the place of minting (“D” for Delia, “I” for Ioulaum, and “K” for Karsus). Introduced just before The Fall, they are considered Uncommon magic items.

Sembia

Square-shaped iron Steelpence were recently introduced to replace the Silver Hawk, but they were massively over-produced, lessening their value. Blue Eyes are diamond-shaped and while the design of the Noble varies yearly, it always has a distinctive five-sided shape.

Serôs

The aquatic realms beneath the Sea of Fallen Stars use pearls of various colours to trade. They are worth 10 times the listed value on land, which is often known as "the wet price" and "the dry price".

Silverymoon

The crescent-shaped Electrum Moon, and the circular Eclipsed Moon, are worth only half as much outside the Silver Marches.

Waterdeep

The square brass Toal has no value outside the city, so they are usually exchanged before leaving. The palm-sized, crescent-shaped Harbor Moon however, is made from platinum inset with electrum, and still worth around 30 gp elsewhere for the raw metal alone.

Zhentil Keep

Coins minted at Zhentil Keep are given unflattering nicknames by the inhabitants: Platinum; "flat metal gem". Gold; "weeping wolf". Electrum; "hardhammer". Silver; "flea-bit". Copper; "dung-piece".

Other Forms of Currency

Bela

Paper money used by barbarian tribes to the east of Kara-Tur. In Faerûn it is worthless and sometimes even offered as an insult.

Blood Notes

So-called because they are signed in blood by all parties involved and then stamped with the seal of a local lord or magistrate, these promissory notes can be offered by individuals, adventuring companies, cities or countries. In common usage the debtor is legally obligated to pay when the note is presented. Notes from deceased individuals are no longer considered legally binding.

Ch'ao

Paper notes widely used in Kara-Tur that are printed with values of 1, 10 and 100 gp. Being so easy to carry, Ch'ao are usually favored over coinage for large transactions throughout the region, but in Faerûn they are considered little more than a worthless curiosity.

Gems

Inherently valuable because people desire them for their beauty and also because the arcane arts require certain gems be used as spell components, which are often consumed in the casting, thus increasing their rarity even more. (Gems in the Forgotten Realms)

Gond Bells

Introduced by the Lantanese and used in regions of the North, usually in trade between worshipers of Gond, these small brass bells are each worth 10 gp, or 20 gp if traded to a church of Gond.

Letters of Trade

Written commitments to make payment of a defined amount of money, according to the terms and conditions specified within.

Mercenary Cards

Small pieces of parchment about the size of a playing card, usually marked on one side with the symbol of a mercenary company and handwritten authorisation from the troop paymaster on the other.

Shaar Ivory Rings

Made of sliced and bored ivory, these rings are usually hung in bundles on long strings. Valued at roughly 3 gp in trade with the plainsmen of Shaar, they are worth very little outside the region.

Tharsult Statues

Small art objects usually made from ivory, jade or serpentine, which are traded in that region. Worth about 5 gp each in their native land, any reaching the North are novelties that can be worth up to 15 gp.

Trade Bars

Accepted throughout the realms, these bars of precious metals are typically marked with the seal or symbol of the nation or mercantile group that minted them. The current agreed standard for trade bars was set in Baldur's Gate where they began minting silver ingots measuring 6" × 2" × 1", that weigh 5 lb. and have a value of 25 gp.

Standard trade bars made of other, more expensive metals also weigh exactly the same, but they vary in size to account for the relative differences in density: Gold; 250 gp. Platinum; 2,500 gp. Mithral; 12,500 gp, Adamantine; 25,000 gp.

Non-Standard Trade Bars