Not all “Gold Pieces” are alike. They vary by nation or kingdom or perhaps locality. In fact, U.S. Continental currency was issued by banks at one point. They will also vary over time as kings and governments change.

Of course, glossing over all of this is fine, but if/when you want this extra level of detail here are a couple of charts to help you out. Just roll for each column to determine either the coin of the realm or the coins of a treasure pile:

d12 Shape Hole in Center? Head & Tail (Roll 2x) Edge Decoration Unusual Feature? 1 Circle No King None None 2 Circle No Queen None None 3 Circle No Key Duke None None 4 Circle No Major God of primary religion None None 5 Hexagon No Coat of Arms Simple Grooves None 6 Hexagon No Map of Kingdom Simple Grooves None 7 Octagon No Dragon or other Beast Simple Grooves None 8 Octagon No Eagle or other bird Simple Grooves Design is highlighted with 2nd metal of another color. 9 Square No Lion or other fierce animal Simple Grooves Much thicker but smaller than other coins of the same type. 10 Square Triangle Flower/Leaf/Plant Simple Grooves Authentic, but made of cheaper metal and plated with named metal 11 Pentagon Square Castle or key building Slogan Fake (50/50 if it is obvious) 12 Pentagon Circle Crossed swords or other weapon(s) Floral pattern Roll twice, ignoring “none” or duplicates.

As mentioned above, consider the age of the coins. If it is a long lost pile of treasure with a King on its head, it will be the King from ages ago. To clarify the “Edge Decoration” column: this is the edge of the coin which often is grooved to prevent nicking.

What else could/should be added to the chart above? (New options or new columns.) The above is a first pass, and I’d like to revise it and add to it before making it semi-final.