Perhaps something should be written to explain why the Septim is a strong enough currency that it would continue to be used after the downfall of an empire and why there is only need for one denomination. That's really strange when you think about it.

Not really, the Empire is still around after all. It would make a lot of sense for several countries to keep using Septims, or alternatively use something of equal weight and quality to replace it so that you can trade one "Common Altmer" (the dominion coin) for one "Septim".

With all local economies having had 430 something years to get adjusted to the coin you'd also imagine that the value of a Septim is pretty much burned in the mindof the people.

This would require a rather global and stable market however where the printing of money, huge debts and lots of borrowing do not happen.

I think its impossible to tell how much a septium is worth in real life since a bread is like 3 septiums, but a giant house is 25,000

A quick alteration and you have what's printed on the dwemer coins

Well, it's not really a different currency per se, but you could have a large sum of coin turned in for letters of credit in Daggerfall, which is pretty much where paper currency came from in the first place.

Fiat currency, the bane of all markets.

Skyrim introduces magic to turn base metals into gold. Given how spells are usually not present because they have been "outlawed" (Levitaiton in Tribunal and Oblivion), it makes a whole world of sense that the spell wasn't available to player characters in previous editions because it was heavily regulated--only The Empire was allowed to manufacture gold, to ensure that all inflation benefited The Empire.

And inflation did the same thing to The Empire that it does to all empires: it eroded the economy to the point where the Empire itself collapsed.

So what would a Septim be worth in US Dollars? If one were imported by itself, assuming a Septim weighs roughly one ounce (and the coin in the Oblivion CE looks like it would be around that), it'd be worth (very) roughly $1,500. If, however, though some kind of dimensional wormhole, trading relations were opened between the United States (and through it the rest of the world) and the Empire of Tamriel, that exchange rate would drop rather quickly, as gold flooded Earth markets and Earth goods flooded Tamrielic markets.

Obviously, you and I didn't play the same TES IV.

Indeed. In mine, the Oblivion Crisis never happened.

Dagon destroyed Tamriel from the inside out via economy destruction.

I like this theroy.

EDIT: I wanted to correct "theroy" to "theory", but I thought it was lulzworthy.

I now need a picture of Dagon wearing glasses and stroking his chin while examining economical charts.

But then Martin smashes the Amulet and becomes an avatar of Zenithar, right?

YI GAWDS, IT ALL MAKES SENZ NAO

All that costly Daedric kit in the hands of lowly marauders (who, most the year don't even know where the drakes for their next skoomfix is coming from): The Dagon surreptitiously flooding Cyrodiil's fragile, adventuring-gear-based-economy with cheapo knock-offs to drive down prices! The the resulting deflationary downspiral causes the Emperor to turn into a Dragon!

That spell was found as a scroll in an Oblivion expansion. The one with Dagon's Razor. Name escapes me, but some rouge Telvani used the spell to pay for his army.

The Dragon Cult tipped their dead and ashes with Septims.

The http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1361073-high-rock-what-is-it-like/page__view__findpost__p__20554210 notes trade across time.

Small nitpick: even coins were mostly only valued for their *nominal* metal content. All currency is fiat currency, which is how you got sudden bouts of inflation instead of gradual inflation in line with debasemant.

In other news: I'm writing a work of fiction about magic coins, so you can't have my precious magic coin ideas. I'll give you this, though: I think I've coined the term 'numenumismatic'. As in, 'the Empire controls the value of its coinage using variable exchange rates updated in real-time via the dreamsleeve because of numenumismatic rituals performed by Tiber Septim. The 'Septim' is a mythical referrent implanted in the minds of imperial citizens by these rituals. In reality, there was only ever one real Septim, and this archetypical coin was lost with the Numidium.'

On a related note: is there any sort of lore explination as to why a full set of ebony armor in Morrowind came to around 122,000(!!!) septms/drakes, while in Cyrodiil a suit could be picked up for between 11-12,000? Same applied to most things, if I recall. I don't seem to remember talk of the econemy collapsing, a difference between the coins, and or anything else.

If anything one would expect thnsg to cost more in the Heartland, not an incredible amount less. Hell, go to Morrowind, get a small time job and then come back to Cyrodiil and buy a mansion in Chorrol for a coupel of years wages. =P

Its really messing up my roleplay. I'm probobly going to have to just not mention it if there is no lore reason for it.

I don't even dare to compare prices between different games, it's just too messed up. Also: Why were my septims valid on the Shivering Isles?

Does the game Daggerfall say something about customs and currency exchange? I would totally expect something like that up there...

Hello.

I think all the currencies are about the same size and substance. So... Tha Madcoins or whatever would be the same coin but with different words and Sheo's or Arden Sul's face? Idk.

Why were Septims in sealed tombs, thousands of years old? The Septim Empire traded across all times and planes.

Why the [NAMIRA] not? Makes more sense than the Warp in the West, enatiomorphs, mantling, reverse-mantling, half-reverse-mantling, Boethiah's Summoning Day, Varlavavarda, et al..

Seriously, I like the idea. I think it's just more of a technical limitation thing, but then again, we have Nu-Cyrod.

If Septims are worth their weight in gold as U.S. currency, I want all of the septims I have with my main in my living room. Right now.

Gold prices are at, as of this posting $1600.60 a troy ounce. A troy ounce is 480 grains, and a grain is 0.06479891 grams. A troy ounce is thus 31.1034768 grams. As stated earlier the septim is likely anywhere from 15-20 grams, although it could be higher. In any case, estimating here, the high number gives us approximately $1024.38 per septim. Low number gives us roughly $771.99 per septim.

Yeah. I want all my in-game septims. Right now. In my living room.

If we were talking about my Morrowind character, I really wouldn't. I'd be crushed or suffocated. Or both. By the end of the game, playing legit and not hoarding, I had well over 100,000 drakes and loot strewn a round my stronghold probobly totaling around 20 times that.

Perhaps a couple of small mounds? A couple of millions worth? =P

Septims have always looked bronze or copper to me. I think 'gold' is just a term for 'money'.

Yeah. The one you get in OB CE is copper. That's how I'm choose to see it. It just makes no sense for them to all be gold. Just dev oversight.