Money of Gor

Gorean Currency

There is little standardization in currency exchange rates throughout Gor. These ratios vary from city to city. The bankers, or literally the coin merchants, try to standarize coinage at each Sardar Fair but their motion never passes. Certain coins though are respected and accepted throughout the civilized cities. These include such coins as the gold tarns of Ar, Ko-ro-ba and Port Kar, golden staters from Brundisium, and the silver tarsk of Tharna.

On Gor, the basic unit of currency is the tarsk coin, made of copper or silver. Each city then decides on the ratio between such coins. A tarsk bit is the smallest unit of currency. From four to twenty tarsk bits equals one copper tarsk. From forty to one hundred copper tarsks equals one silver tarsk. Ten silver tarsks equal one gold tarn disk. Gold tarn disks are also made in double weight. Some coins may be split into pieces to make change. A coin is about 1.5" in diameter and 3/8" thick. There is a tarn or tarsk on one side and usually a letter to identify the city of origin on the other side. There is no paper currency on Gor.

The early novels mentioned the existance of copper and silver tarn disks but the later books, especially when discussing exchange rates, omit these coins. If you moniter the appearance of these tarn disks, they begin to disappear from the books as they progress. And the initial books neglect to mention tarsk disks. This seems to be another area where Norman chose to change matters in the latter books. The latter books should be taken as more authoritative in this matter as they are the ones where the issue of coinage is more throroughly described. Tribesman of Gor, #10, may be the last book to mention a copper or silver tarn disk.

To most Goreans, a silver tarsk is a coin of considerable value. A gold tarn disk is more than many common laborers earn in a year. A gold tarn may buy a tarn or five slave girls. Five pieces of gold is a fortune and one can live in many cities for years on such resources. For the most part, many items on Gor will sell for copper tarsks. Business is often conducted by notes and letters of credit. Most cities have their own mints. Coins are struck, one at a time, by a hammer pounding on the flat cap of a die. Coins are not made to be easily stacked. In some cities, such as Tharna, coins are drilled so that they might be stringed.

A coin is a way in which a government certifies that a given amount of precious metal is involved in a transaction. It saves the need of weighing and testing each coin, thus making commerce much easier. But, some less scrupulous people may shave coins, slicing slivers of metal off of them. This is akin to theft and fraud. The coin is worth less than it should be.

Money comes in 5 forms, with the the basic unit being the copper tarsk bit.

The copper tarsk bit
Basic unit of currency.

The copper tarsk
Equivalent to 8 tarsk bits.

The copper tarn
Equivalent to 2 and a half copper tarsks or 20 copper tarsk bits.

The silver tarsk
Equivalent to 40 copper tarns, 100 copper tarsks or 800 copper tarsk bits.

The gold tarn
Equivalent to 10 silver tarks, 400 copper tarns, 1000 copper tarks or 8000 copper tarsk bits.

MONEY



tarn disk, copper

a unit of currency.
Book 5: Assassin of Gor, page 160

tarn disk, gold

a unit of currency of the highest value on Gor; also made in double- weight; many cities on Gor mint their own money but the gold tarn disk of Ar is the standard for much of Gor.
Book 1: Tarnsman of Gor, page 191
the gold tarn disk of Ar is considered to be the standard by which other cities, such as Ko-Ro-Ba and Port Kar. set the value of their own coinage. It is worth, generally, 10 silver tarsks, but standardization is slight due to the shaving or splitting of the coin as well as faulty scales that contribute to the debasing of the coinage.
Book 15: Rogue of Gor, page 155

tarsk

a copper coin (see tarsk silver and tarsk bit).
Book 13: Explorers of Gor, page 54

tarsk, silver

a coin considered to be of much value by most goreans. It is worth 100 copper tarks in most cities. Ten silver tarks is the equivalent of one gold piece of one of the high cities. Many gold pieces are standardized against the golden tarn disk of Ar.
Book 13: Explorers of Gor, page 54
Book 15: Rogue of Gor, page 155
Book 17: Savages of Gor, page 120

tarsk bit

a large coin worth from 1/10 to 1/4 of a copper tarsk depending on the city which mints the coin (see tarsk copper).
Book 13: Explorers of Gor, page 54

Exchange Rate 1 gold dw = 2 gold 1 gold = 10 silver 1 silver = 100 copper 1000 copper = 1 gold

8 copper bits=1 copper, 100 coppers= 1 silver, 10 silvers= 1 gold single weight

CTb=Copper Tarsk Bit
CT=Copper Tarsk
ST=Silver Tarsk
GT=Gold Tarn
DGT=Double Weight Gold Tarn