Duncan Rowlands:
>I've been thinking that the Lunar Empire might have produced a special coin
>as a way to enforce there right to exist as a joining of Dara Happa and
>Peloria in the minds of the populace by constant presence in their lives.
>
>The coin would be larger than a gold wheel and would have a gold outer
>ring and a silver inner circle (like a UK 2 quid coin) and would have a
>value of 21 Imperials.
>
>Whilst not in common ciculation its use by the nobility and proffessional
>classes, and as a way to decribe an ammount of prize money for horse /
>chariot races, would embed its presence into the collective mind of the
>Empire.
>
>A name for this coin?
>
>How about a guinea.
I actually wrote about a similar kind of coin to this - a Lunar knock-off of an old Dara Happan design - in a Digest VOL4 posting ("Coins of the Empire") back in 1995 or 96. Dredged from the archives, here's the relevant section:
>In Dara Happan times, coins were minted by express authority of the
>Dara Happan Senates of each city in the Tripolis. These coins
>invariably featured the radiant sun, depicting Yelm as Emperor
>of the Universe, and, by extension, the universal dominion of
>the reigning Dara Happan Emperor. The visage of the emperor
>himself was rarely depicted, even on the reverse side: it was
>enough to know his authority came from Yelm above. Instead,
>the reverse sides featured designs or inscriptions denoting the
>place of minting. For example, the reverse side of the coin
>featured here depicts the immense statue of Raiba, city god of
>Raibanth.
>
>Infuriatingly for the numismaticist, Dara Happan gold coins were never
>dated, another conscious attempt to signify the ageless dominion of
>Dara Happan power.
>
>The coin depicted here is a typical Raibanth solidus, an immense gold
>coin used more as a unit of exchange than actual currency. These coins
>were often broken up (following the sun rays on the obverse). Whole
>coins from the pre-Lunar period are now very rare and hence
>extremely valuable. Unfortunately, this coin dates from the
>reign of the Lunar Emperor Magnificus (4/51 - 5/43), when permission
>was granted for the Dara Happan mints to resume making the solidi.
>Although the principle of the solidus as unit of exchange had long
>become a mere mathematical abstraction (no longer requiring the
>actual coins), Magnificus was insistent that such coins again be
>made, to proclaim to all and sundry that a true heir to the Dara
>Happan throne once again ruled the empire. The inscription (often
>lacking on bona fide Dara Happan solidi) around the rim proclaims
>the fact.
Cheers,
MOB
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