What coinage system did Gary use in the 1970s?

[geoffrey]

In his novel, Saga of Old City, Gary wrote regarding coinage in Greyhawk: "The lowest form of currency is an iron drab. Five of these are equal to one brass bit, and ten bits comprise one bronze zee. The copper common is the next most valuable, equal to five zees, and four commons make up the value of one silver noble. An electrum lucky is equal to five nobles, and ten luckies are the same worth as one gold orb. Atop the pyramid is the platinum plate, equal to one gold orb plus one electrum lucky. Thus, for comparison, a silver noble is worth one thousand iron drabs, an electrum lucky equates to one thousand brass bits, a gold orb has the same value as one thousand brass bits, a gold orb has the same value as one thousand bronze zees, and a platinum plate is equal to fifty five thousand iron drabs."

Did Gary actually use this system of coins in his home Greyhawk campaign? If so, how far back did he use it? And why wasn't this the system published in the rulebooks?

[Falconer]

The names of at least some of the coinage (Gold Orb, Silver Noble, Copper Common) definitely goes back to the ’70s. Kuntz uses this nomenclature in “Quest for the Vermillion Volume” fiction that was published in The Strategic Review #6, and it is also there in The Village of Hommlet.

As for the conversion rates, Gary was constantly revising them throughout his life to what he thought was more realistic. So I think that what he published in SoOC was just the latest revision that he may or may not have been using in his games in the mid-80s. But I’m fairly certain he used the conversion rates given in OD&D in the early-mid ’70s, and probably the rates given in AD&D in the late ’70s.

For example, I believe in OD&D he states that electrum could be worth more than gold or less than gold. Since AD&D definitely makes electrum worth less than gold, I speculate that Gary early on made electrum worth more than gold, but around the time he published OD&D he was changing his mind.

There is no evidence that he ever used currency smaller than the Copper Common in his games. I think he invented those for the novels to show a more dramatic rise from poverty to riches for Gord. The one exception is that bronze pieces are used in WG4 The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun, where it is stated that 4 bronze = 1 copper.

[Finarvyn]

Geoffrey, this doesn't add anything new, but I'm quoting you from Rob Kuntz' Q&A thread on DF. I think your paragraph above was fine, but the list below says it differently (better?)

In his Gord the Rogue books, Gary used the following coinage system:
50,000 iron drabs =
10,000 brass bits =
1,000 bronze zees =
200 copper commons =
50 silver nobles =
10 electrum luckies =
1 gold orb =
10/11ths of a platinum plate

Certainly if one goes with a scale such as this one would need to drastically redo the treasure tables from M&T.

[Deleted]

The glaring oddity compared to the real world is copper being worth so much.

Platinum would seem to be more plentiful in that world as well, but one can take that in stride.