Gil Lore

(10-03-2014, 12:17 PM)Sounsyy Wrote:

Quote:The currency now commonly referred to as “gil” was officially adopted by the city-states of Eorzea roughly one-hundred years ago, as a means to strengthen trade relations in the wake of the Autumn War.

Prior to this, each city-state minted and regulated its own currency, which led to unpredictable exchange rates and prompted many traders to use ancient Allagan pieces in lieu of other coinage. Recognizing the wisdom of the practice (and desiring greater control over the money supply), the leaders of Eorzea announced the creation of new gil, and further decreed that its value would be standardized across all nations. Moreover, to help encourage adoption, it was designed in the image of its precursors.

Initially, as an expression of solidarity, these coins were to be engraved with images of the Twelve, rather than those of individuals beloved of a single nation. As time passed and the gil rose to prominence, however, the policy was relaxed, and the coin came to bear an ever increasing variety of motifs. Those minted to commemorate the reformation of the Eorzean Alliance are a notable example from recent years.

But to finally answer the question which prompted this discussion: the face on the gil coin icon in the UI is that of Nymeia, the Spinner. For simplicity’s sake, we’ve elected to represent all gil with this graphic.

-Source

So gil coins are engraved with the faces of the Twelve as well as the leaders of the Eorzean city-states for the past 100 years. 5 years ago, new gil was put into circulation bearing the profiles of the three Grand Company leaders for promotional purposes.


As for what metal gil is made out of, I defer to this:

Quote:Copperfish
The copperfish's dull orange scales - a hue rare in freshwater wavekin - make this species popular amongst Ul'dahn nobles, who apparently prefer even their fish the color of their coin. Not native to Eorzea, it is believed the first copperfish were brought to the realm by Far East traders.

So... copper?



Also, in regards to the fact that we can still turn in Allagan pieces found in dungeons for gil exchange, I imagine there are still places in the world (possibly black market) which would accept Allagan minted pieces as acceptable exchange.

Also, each Beast Tribe has their own form of currency. So if your character does trade with the Beast Tribes, you might also have a stash of their currencies.

Allagan Piece
Currency minted in the Third Astral Era by the Allagan Empire.

Ixali Knot
A carved piece of wood used as currency by the Ixal.

Sylphic Leaf
A decaying leaf used as currency by the Sylphs.

Titan Piece
A crude piece of flattened metal used as currency by the kobolds of O'Ghomoro.

Psashp
A colored shell used as currency by the Sahagin.

Amalj'ok
A small, curved blade used as currency by the Amalj'aa.

Ququroon Doom-die
A tiny die used as currency by the Qiqirn.

Gagaroon Luck-die
A tiny die used as currency by the Qiqirn.

Peperoon Fate-die
A tiny die used as currency by the Qiqirn.

Gobcog
A tiny, multi-toothed cog widely used by goblins as currency.

EDIT: Oh! Also I found this:

Quote:Ignus Snail
The fiery red shells of this freshwater snail, also known as "Ifrit's claws," are prized by the Amalj'aa, and are useful when bartering with the beast tribe.

2.55We later find out that it was Teledji/Lolorito using fronts and shell consortiums to fund the Crystal Braves and buy off their members.