Re: Kemrese Philately

[Padraic Brown <pbrown@nova.umuc.edu>]

On Sat, 18 Jul 1998, Padraic Brown wrote:

> > and everyone can hardly wait for when
> > the Ewro comes in!

Ah, 'Ewro'...I didn't catch that the first three times I passed over it!

> I should like to think that the Cambrian pound might be worth as much as
> L10 English *here* (I don't know what that is in NZ$).  This would cause
> the use of the shilling as the standard unit and would keep the penny
> from dipping too low in value.

I think I should clarify this a bit.  The pound would still be in use, but
the things priced in it would be rather on the expensive side.  Certainly
houses and waggons and the Armed Forces budget would all be in pounds; but
books and bread and milk and such would likely be in the shilling range,
if not in the penny range.

L10 UK is about $16.50 US currently (around $NZ30.00).  *There* a sweet
costs about 3d, the stamp 6d, a kes tostu and and a long pint of beer
maybe 3s (more for a better beer!), a small (well known) grammar book
4/3. It should cost about 15s to take the train from Tintagel to
Castreleon (first class, extra).  Pretentious city folk who simply _must_
have a motor car should be prepared to spend around L320.  Only don't
expect to do much driving west of Esca as it's all dirt roads except for
the Royal Highway (stone paved).  [Prices not exact.]

>
> Assuming a rising price of gold, our unit of choice would probably be the
> shilling (and indeed prices and accounts *here* were done up in
> shillings), in much the same way as our dollar -- even after gold started
> soaring, the dollar remained rather stable.  Just like *here*, there would
> still be gold pounds out there, they just won't circulate because of their
> being worth more than one pound.

This could have been clearer: the shilling would be the usual unit because
the pound is so valuable.  Most items in the shops won't get much past
10s.  Of course, household goods and furniture and the like will be more.
Here in the US, the silver dollar has remained relatively low since 1794;
the gold dollar shot up after the 1960s.  [A silver dollar is now worth
about $5.00; a gold dollar about $20.00 in metal content.]

>
> Notes make up the higher ranges: L2, L5, L10; and the rarely seen L20,
> L50, L100, L200, L500, L1000, L2000, L5000, L10000, L50000, L100000.  If
> you ever see a man in a train headed for Dun Edain from Castreleon wearing
> a dark suit and trying to look inconspicuous; he's probably a Bank of
> Cambria officer making a transfer to the Royal Bank of Scotland.  He's
> probably loaded with L50000 notes; but don't try anything stupid, because
> they shoot to kill. ;-)

Also, these fellows travel in groups and continually change who has the
money.  They are quite difficult to steal from.

I didn't take into account any sales taxes that may be charged; nor
whether they may be included in the price or added in at the cashier.

Padraic.