Kroner

The Kroner, referred in slang-terms as the Steiner-Bill or S-Bill, is the currency of the Lyran Commonwealth and Lyran Alliance. A variation of the Kroner was also the currency of the combined Federated Commonwealth.[1][2][3] Prior to the Jihad the Rim Collection used the Kroner as its primary form of currency.[4]

Overview[edit]

The Lyran kroner is divided into 100 pfennigs, its name originating from the currency of several Scandinavian nations on pre-spaceflight Terra. Despite the large number of Lyran citizens that use electronic "smart cards," kroner still largely exist as a physical notes and coins. Paper notes exist for 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, and 10,000 kroner. Notes are color coded for easy recognition and feature an image of a Lyran Archon on one side and a famous event in Lyran history on other. Coins exist in 1, 5, and 10 pfennig denominations, made of copper alloy; 25 and 50 pfennig, made of silver alloy; and 1 and 5 kroner, of gold alloy. Coins depict either Lyran Archons or more rarely important national heroes and the Lyran standard on the reverse. All such images and likenesses are commissioned by some of the finest craftsmen in the Lyran nation, making each S-Bill and coin as much a work of art as a unit of monetary exchange.[1][2]

The 50 and 10 pfennig coins occasionally depict commemorative events such as major battles or memorializing lost national leaders or heroes, the latest of which circa 3067 were the Coventry Memorial 10 pfennig coin, issued from 30593062, and the Second Star League Commemorative 50 pfennig coin, first issued in 3067 and slated to end production in January of 3069. Additionally, during the FedCom era, a 20 kroner note was printed: blue on both sides and featuring Katrina Steiner on the front and the insignia Federated Commonwealth on the reverse. While still valid tender, printing of the 20 kroner note was halted in 3058 following the Lyran secession.[1]

Notes and coins are printed at one of the six mints within the Lyran realm, one in Tharkad City with the remaining five of which are also sites of the nation's largest stock exchanges - Donegal, Skye, Bolan, Australia, and Alarion.[1]

Lyran Notes and Coins circa 3067[1]
Unit Value Note Color or Coin Metal Obverse/Reverse
10,000 K Note Blue/Gold Robert Marsden/Original Lyran lyre logo
1,000 K Note Blue/Silver Katherine Steiner/Original capital city, Arcturus
500 K Note Blue/White Tatyana Steiner/Hesperus II factories
100 K Note Blue/Yellow Elizabeth Steiner/LCS Invincible
50 K Note Blue/Purple Robert Steiner/Alarion's Port Sydney Shipyards
10 K Note Blue/Blue Frederick Steiner/Zeus BattleMech
5 K Note and Coin Blue/Green (Note), Gold-Platinum (Coin) Katrina Steiner/Star League logo (both Note and Coin)
1 K Note and Coin Blue/Gray (Note), Gold (Coin) Peter Steiner-Davion/The Triad (both Note and Coin)
0.50 K Coin Silver Melissa Steiner-Davion
0.25 K Coin Silver-Nickel Arthur Steiner-Davion
0.10 K Coin Nickel-Copper Angela Franks
0.05 K Coin Zinc-Copper Alistair Steiner
0.01 K Coin Copper Katherine Steiner

During the Dark Age, the exchange rate with the C-bill was 2.13 prior to the Blackout and 3.88 after the blackout.[5]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 131–132: "Economics - National Economy - Cold, Hard Cash: The Alliance Mints"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Classic BattleTech RPG, p. 180: "Society and Culture - Money and Commerce - Lyran Alliance"
  3. Bred for War, ch. 2
  4. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 194: "Periphery Currencies and Exchange Rates"
  5. Era Digest: Dark Age, p. 27: "Currency Conversion Table (Dark Age)"

Bibliography[edit]