House Bill

A counterpoint to ComStar's C-bill, House-Bills (often shortened to H-bills) generically refers to the currencies of the Great Houses.

Overview[edit]

One of the grandest achievements of the original Star League was the unification of the disparate economies of its member states under a single currency - the Star League Dollar - in 2623. The single economic system ensured an unparalleled boom in trade only to be sundered by the Amaris Coup. Following the collapse of the Star League, each of the five Successor Lords issued new "Star League" currency bearing their likeness befitting their claims of being the sole First Lord, offering sharply unfavorable exchange rates to exchange the old money for the new to help fund their war efforts. In time as it became clear that none would successfully defeat their opposition, these currencies evolved into their current form, reflecting their own cultural preferences and biases.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Like the Star League dollar before them, the Great House currencies were originally on the germanium standard, though the strength of the Star League dollar was more a reflection of confidence in the economy than the contents of the Star League's vaults.[7] In the chaos of the Succession Wars, these reserves were supplemented by gold, silver, gemstones, and even commodities such as radioactive materials or fresh water. Management of these reserves is one of the main responsibilities of the Houses' central reserves.[8][9]

House-Bills form some 90% of the currency in circulation in the post–Star League Inner Sphere, the remaining 10% being the ComStar backed C-bill.[5][6]

House Bills[edit]

Notes[edit]

During the existence of the Federated Commonwealth, the Kroner was also referred to as the "FC-bill."[11] Following the secession of the Lyran Alliance, the FedCom rump state continued to issue the unified currency until the early 3060s. Though the treasury attempted to retire the older notes, neither the original Pound nor the FedCom-era Kroner had left circulation by 3067.[12]

Notes[edit]

  1. The Star League, pp. 54–55: "Economic and Scientific Advances"
  2. MechWarrior 1st Edition, p. 6: "A History of Human Space, 2001-3025 - The Good Years (2601-2750)"
  3. MechWarrior 2nd Edition, pp. 109–111: "Historical: Overview - The Good Years (2601-2750)"
  4. Historical: Reunification Wars, pp. 165–166: "Aftermath - Good Years - The Second Invasion"
  5. 5.0 5.1 MechWarrior Second Edition, p. 144: "Economics - Currency - House Bills (H-bills)"
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 MechWarrior Third Edition, p. 180: "Society and Culture - Local Currencies and Exchange Rates"
  7. MechWarrior 2nd Edition, p. 144
  8. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 132
  9. Handbook: House Marik, p. 125
  10. Era Report: 3062, p. 157: Currency Conversion Table (3055-3062)
  11. Legacy, p. 170 (Kindle edition)
  12. Handbook: House Davion, p. 156

Bibliography[edit]