Is there any lore about the gold coins, the septims? I am thinking about things like how they look like. What is engraved upon them. The name of the current emperor? Any symbols? Phrases?

Front: "The Empire is Law" over a head engraved upon it in profile, beneath it "The Law is Sacred". I would guess that it's the head of Uriel VII. when he was young. (I do think however, that the head resembles Daggerfallian Sheogorath more than anyone else... )

Back: "Praise be Akatosh and all the Divines" and the Septim Dragon and Diamond sigil.

The Oblivion Collector's Edition came with said coin.

Edit: There you go, here's a http://www.oblivionicus.org/graphics/screens/game_ce_septim.jpg.

Ah, wonderful, just what I was looking for. Thanks!

It does look vaguely like Sheogorath (the Oblivion one, haven't seen the Daggerfall one) but I think it's supposed to be Tiber Septim, not Uriel VII.

It's http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Image:OB-Statues-Tiber_Septim.jpg, not Uriel.

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Image%3a%44F-Sheogorath.gif

Hairstyle is all wrong..guy on the coin has a shorter, Caesar-style cut, like Tiber Septim. Makes a lot more sense for him to be on a Septim than Sheo, too.

http://tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=20857

I'm probably in a minority, but I didn't mind his Shivering Isles appearance and don't believe it conflicts with the lore at all. He doesn't even look the same between Morrowind and Oblivion's statue quests, let alone from Oblivion's statue to his physical appearance. It's even in his dialogue that he's been different people before, or different people have been him. He may look completely different in the next game again. Fitting for his Sphere.

My friend has an edition of Oblivion on the PC that includes a DVD showing the making of Oblivion and an authentic Septim coin. It is so cool and it is very heavy.

I have the coin, too. I'd definitely say that's Tiber Septim, and why not? We have Wash on our $1 bill over here in the US.