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Do we have any information on Imperial money? Obviously, there would be local currency of all kinds (from actual physical metals all the way to purely digital), but what about an official currency utilized all throughout the Imperium?

And, I swear to God, if somebody says credits, I'm going to stop doing 40k altogether. Every space sci-fi in the history of ever has used credits, and I'm getting sick of it.

I guess i just wont say it then

There is none. There may be hive-wide currencies, or planet-wide currencies, or even sector-wide currencies, all of which having been shown in the lore. But above that, you're dealing wholly in goods and oaths.

There is no imperium wide currency (at least so far as we know). Each planet/system will have different currencies, beyond that it's trading goods/services/oaths

The Imperium strikes me as more of a goods based economy.

Either that or I guess credits or bits or something like that.

I've heard quite a few mentions of Throne Gelt here and there. Not sure if that's considered -the- currency, but that's all I know. Beyond what's already been stated, of course.

 EpicPursuit wrote:
I've heard quite a few mentions of Throne Gelt here and there. Not sure if that's considered -the- currency, but that's all I know. Beyond what's already been stated, of course.

Thanks, I just found reference to coins called "Imperials, Thrones, and Gelts" used by nobles when I googled it.

 dusara217 wrote:

 EpicPursuit wrote:
I've heard quite a few mentions of Throne Gelt here and there. Not sure if that's considered -the- currency, but that's all I know. Beyond what's already been stated, of course.

Thanks, I just found reference to coins called "Imperials, Thrones, and Gelts" used by nobles when I googled it.

No problem . Glad to help out.

 EpicPursuit wrote:
I've heard quite a few mentions of Throne Gelt here and there. Not sure if that's considered -the- currency, but that's all I know. Beyond what's already been stated, of course.

Throne Gelt is the currency present in the Dark Heresy RPG by FFG, but is never stated to extend beyond the borders of the Calixis Sector.

 Psienesis wrote:

 EpicPursuit wrote:
I've heard quite a few mentions of Throne Gelt here and there. Not sure if that's considered -the- currency, but that's all I know. Beyond what's already been stated, of course.

Throne Gelt is the currency present in the Dark Heresy RPG by FFG, but is never stated to extend beyond the borders of the Calixis Sector.

Yeah. That's what I thought. Still, better than nothing, eh?

Indeed, though, given the fact that there's relatively few people in the Imperium who travel (like, less than 1/1000th of 1%), there's most-likely not an Imperium-wide currency. Doesn't need to be, really.

Guardsmen will travel across entire Segmentums, getting paid in a "scrip" that, itself, has no value, but can probably be traded by civilian merchants to lending-houses and Administratum offices for a pre-determined amount of whatever the local currency is.

RTs won't ever deal with something so crass as "cash", and will instead bargain raw materials, trade goods, contracts, favors and promises.

Feral Worlds probably don't have money or, if they do, it's something like a shiny rock that next to no one else in the galaxy values for anything. Inquisitors, Astartes, the Ecclesiarchy... these people either have near-endless bank accounts, or are otherwise so fantastically wealthy in the local planet/system/sub-sector economy that they never leave that they never have to actually pay for anything.

And so on. There's no real need for centralized banking (and in a place the size of the Imperium, there really couldn't be. Going to pay interest on a savings account after someone's been stuck in a Warp Storm for 1000 years, but has only been gone a week and a half?)

I thought blood and bodies was the currency of the Imperium.

The closest the Imperium gets to using a proper universal currency is the Munitorum issuing a tithe "credit" voucher which is used to purchase material from the various worlds. This voucher can be turned in when the Tithe is due to show you've got some credit for it.

Aside from that, all currency will be limited to sector or sub-sector use. Trading between sectors people likely exchange currency for goods or precious metals as a universal form of exchange.

I'm fairly sure Oll Persson mentions his money and it was credits.

 EpicPursuit wrote:
I've heard quite a few mentions of Throne Gelt here and there. Not sure if that's considered -the- currency, but that's all I know. Beyond what's already been stated, of course.

I believe that comes from the Ravenor/Eisinhorn books. Thrones are the currency of the Helican sub-sector where Ravenor and Eisinhorn worked primarily so they got mentioned frequently.

 Grey Templar wrote:

 EpicPursuit wrote:
I've heard quite a few mentions of Throne Gelt here and there. Not sure if that's considered -the- currency, but that's all I know. Beyond what's already been stated, of course.

I believe that comes from the Ravenor/Eisinhorn books. Thrones are the currency of the Helican sub-sector where Ravenor and Eisinhorn worked primarily so they got mentioned frequently.

Could be. Abnett was involved in creating the first set of books for DH, and the Calixis Sector is right next door to the Ixaniad Sector, which is where Eisenhorn/Ravenor take place.

You could also easily have multiple sector currency having the same name, but being a different currency all together.

Kinda like how Aussies and the US both have Dollars, but they're different currencies.

I doubt they would risk digital currencies - it doesn't quite fit the fluff imho.

Trade between systems would occur in whatever reserve currencies are acceptable, much like 50% of USD aren't actually in the US. PMs (gold and silver) have traditionally been the money accepted universally here, which would fit the flavour, if not necessarily the reality, of wh40k.

I believe that the licenses allowing inter system trade are so rare (rogue traders) that you have a situation where a common currency actually isn't essential.

Requisition Points....

REK WE SIT SHUN PU ENTZ!!!

 Silverthorne wrote:
I believe that the licenses allowing inter system trade are so rare (rogue traders) that you have a situation where a common currency actually isn't essential.

No, trade between different imperial systems is actually very common. Whats uncommon is trade with non-imperials, which is what only Rogue Traders are authorized to do.

Many Rogue Traders run massive internal shipping empires, along with trading with external entities.

I'm surprised no one has brought up the Emperor's currency

It was, tangentially.

As mentioned, aside from BL books the Dark Heresy RPG mentioned Throne Gelt prominently. There are also mentions of planetary or sector currencies as I recall.

The Imperium almost certainly has a de facto currency that is the 'gold standard' for interplanetary transacttions. Regulating trade, customs and tariffs is a basic function of any government, and the Imperium wouldn't miss out on such a lucrative opportunity for tithes and taxes.

To be honest there is a LOT of interplanetary commerce going on in the Imperium. Rogue Traders sometimes have charters within Imperial space. Chartist Captains always do. There are many references in the fluff to interplanetary trade and crime cartels. And, of course, the Ecclesiarchy and the various far-flung tendrils of the Administratum need common mediums of exchange that are acceptable across whole sectors.

Most likely Throne Gelt are in circulation primarily among great trading houses, bureaucrats, clergy, nobles and the military. The average dirt side Imperial citizen probably never lays a finger on such exalted currency. Local currency for local citizens and all that. But it's probably the gold standard against which all other currencies are measured, much as the US Dollar was in the mid to late twentieth century.

My two cents.

The currency is life
taken from the "Life is the Emperor's currency, Spend it well" Quote

"Throne Gelt", or just "thrones", are the most commonly used imperial currencies, based off of the non-Astartes novels and the lore from FFG's books.

Pilgrims traveling to important shrine worlds often traverse sectors so they'd need some way to pay their way. Ofc, maybe the Ecclesiarchy handles that - gift your worldy wealth to the church at home and you receive some sort of IOU papers that allow you to handle things on the journey.

Pilgrims are people on a sacred devotion. Once they've paid the passage on the ship, they generally rely on the faith and charity of other Imperial citizens to feed them on their way.

However, the fact that there's tourism within the Imperium (mentioned numerous times by the Cain series, for example, as well as the FFG series) shows the need for a stable currency.

Only really within a specific sector.

Each will have its own currency. If you have the neighboring sector's currency I am sure there are exchange stations in every space port.