Pound

The Pound, referred in slang-terms as the Davion-Bill or D-Bill, is the currency of the Federated Suns.[1][2][3]

Overview[edit]

Its name originating from the pounds, shillings and pence of British Isles on pre-spaceflight Terra, the Davion Pound is likewise divided into 100 Pence, though some Francophone regions use the term "centime" instead.[1]

Prior to the ascension of Simon Davion as First Prince, the Federated Suns would often change the form and style of its currency based on the whims of its presidents, leading to situations where twenty or more different styles of currency existed in the most popular denominations. Prince Simon overhauled the system while still allowing for some regional variation by authorizing the various March Princes to issues their own specialized variations of population denominations, though the practice was greatly restricted by Alexander Davion in the wake of the Davion Civil War, a conflict that saw the powers issue additional currency to try and gain leverage, only to devalue the Pound and further damage the national economy.[2][3]

Coins exist in 1 and 5 Pence denominations, made of copper alloy; 1 Shilling (1/10th of a Pound) and 1 Half-Crown (1/4 of a Pound), made of silver alloy; and the Crown (1/2 of Pound) and Double Crown (1 Pound), of gold alloy. The 1 Shilling Coin is minted in each March with the likeness of the leader of the March on one side with his or her family seal on the other - thus as of 3067 1 Shilling coins in the Draconis March featured Tancred Sandoval, within the Crucis March Yvonne Steiner-Davion and within the Capellan March George Hasek. Crowns generally feature the most recent ruler of the Federated Suns (and Federated Commonwealth when it existed) and though the majority of Crowns in circulation as of 3067 featured Victor Steiner-Davion, coins featuring the likenesses of Katherine and Melissa Steiner-Davion also remained in use.[1][3]

Paper notes exist for 2, 5, 20, 100, 500, 1000 and 10K Pounds denominations. The material used for notes varies by mint, with those printed on New Syrtis and New Avalon using a hard-wearing but flexible plastic, while those minted on Robinson are made of paper. Notes are color coded for easy recognition and feature an image of a First Prince on one side and a famous location or event in history on other.[1][3]

Davion Notes and Coins (circa 3067)[3]
Unit Value Note Color or Coin Metal Obverse/Reverse
10,000 Pound Note Yellow/Black Lucien Davion/Signing of the Crucis Pact
1,000 Pound Note Green/Yellow Robert Davion/World of New Avalon
500 Pound Note Purple/Red Alexander Davion/Davion Royal Court
100 Pound Note Blue/Purple Melissa Davion/Raising of Federated Suns flag over Robinson
20 Pound Note Red/Blue Hanse Davion/New Avalon Institute of Science
5 Pound Note Blue/Blue Ian Davion/Atlas BattleMech holding a sword
2 Pound Note Yellow/Red Andrew Davion/Royal Palace
Double Crown Coin Gold (large) Hanse Davion/Mount Davion
Crown Gold (medium) Victor Steiner-Davion/Sword & Sunburst
Half-Crown Coin Silver (medium) Simon Davion/Davion Throne
1 Shilling Coin Silver (small) Regional Leader/Insignia
5 Pence Coin Copper Sword/Sunburst
1 Pence Coin Copper (small) Arthur Steiner-Davion/Seal of Kentares

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Classic BattleTech RPG, pp. 180–181: "Society and Culture - Money and Commerce - Federated Suns"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Handbook: House Davion, p. 156: "National Economy - Pocket Full of Dead Princes: Currency in the Federated Suns"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Handbook: House Davion, p. 157: "National Economy - Federated Suns Units of Currency and Exchange Rates"

Bibliography[edit]