Currency

[Roger]

Currency

Dreaming of Serenity does not have a monetary system in place (i.e. you don't have to keep track of the money you have and actually balance a budget of buying supplies and such while chasing every job to get paid). However, that does not mean that we RP in a Universe where money doesn't exist. You still do jobs for pay, buy stuff for yourself or your ship, talk about your "cut", etc. This brief guide is here to help you better understand the currency of the 'Verse and thus add yet another level of depth to your RP.

Credits and Platinum
No, they are not the same thing. It's important to note that the two are competing forms of currency. They have difference uses, appearances, and values.

Credits
Credits (or just "creds") are the standardized currency of the Core Worlds and the Alliance. As the name implies, the Credit is in fact just credit. In most cases the credit exists purely in an electronic form with all transactions being performed wirelessly either through the cortex directly from a secured source (see online bill pay) or through a personal "credit chip" which acts much like a debit card.

The Alliance also prints paper money which are also "credits". Such currency is typically only used in locations that do not have the technology to facilitate the hi-tech side of the credit system. Therefore these paper bills typically only see use in small stores and in small transactions, in Border or Rim Worlds where the credit system is not established, or as a means of under-the-table payment that is not so easily tracked and/or taxed.

Credits are created by the Alliance Federal Reserve, a central banking institution.  All credits, both paper and electronic, are standardized with each looking, feeling, and usable like any other credit.

Platinum
Platinum (or just "plat") is the dominant currency of the Border and Rim Worlds. It is a "hard" currency that exists in a material state either in your pocket or some bank vault rather than the fiat of the credit which often only exists on some computer server.  Platinum is not backed by a government reserve but merely independent banking institutions across the 'Verse.  Individual banks or local governments can print/mint their own plat.  Assuming they do not debase it, plat from one bank is equal to plat from any other and it actually represents physical platinum sitting in that bank's vault.

Platinum in its pure state comes in coins and bars.  Coins are the standard currency, with a certain percentage of them being platinum and the rest some base metal.  In a vault setting, plat can also be found in solid bars (either small 32.15 kilobars (15432 plat) or larger 400 bars (192000 plat)).  Platinum can also be expressed by paper notes representing those vault bars or transferred electronically though again this is done bank by bank not with the regulation of a central government system.  All coinage and especially paper money varies in shapes, sizes, and designs.  The only constant is the value of the plat.



What's the difference?
Besides their appearance? Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. The credit is convenient, easy to transport, more secure from traditional robbery, theft, etc. But on the other hand it's government fiat and not hard currency, and while free from some threats cyber attacks can be just as if not more dangerous to the money supply. Plat can be cumbersome and inconvenient but it has lasting value and is the type of currency you can put in your pocket or a vault and not have to worry about it magically disappearing.

Also, neither currency is universally used. As mentioned the Core and Alliance territories outside the Core use the Credit primarily while the Border and Rim use Platinum. But it's not as simple as that. Not only would one currency not be dominant in a location, but people might not even accept it there. As a general rule, Core Worlds typically won't take Plat and Rim Worlds won't take Creds with Border Worlds taking both.

Finally, the two do not have the same value.


Currency Value
*All of this is complete speculation and NOT canon. It is based on what "makes sense" based on the limited information we receive from the series and general principles of currency.*

In a perfect world where no one is trying to cheat you, 1 Credit is equal to 4.8 Platinum. This is because a credit represents 1/100th of a troy ounce of platinum, and 1 Platinum represents 1 grain of platinum (480 grains in a troy ounce -> 1/100 of a troy ounce is 4.8 grains).

1 Credit is worth approximately $25 USD with 1 Platinum being worth approximately $5.21 USD. This is based on such scientific principles as: Speculation for the cost of precious metals 500 years from now on different planets with different technology, the value of unspecified doses of fictional medications, and the price of cattle on a Rim World where we have no idea their relative value.

With this in mind:

• Underfed cows that are also too old for breeding with Mal being low-balled = 6.25 Credits, 30 Plat, and $156.
• Various doses of drugs range from 20-200 Credits, 90-950 Platinum, and $500-5000.
• The Bounty on River's Head = 200,000 Credits, 960,000 Platinum, and $5,000,000.
• What we paid Desmond for a few guns = 104,167 Credits, 500,000 Platinum, $2,605,000.

Too Long; Did not Read

• 1 Credit = 4.8 Platinum
• 1 Credit is approximately $25 USD.
• 1 Platinum is approximately $5.21 USD.
• Credits are used in the Core and Border.
• Platinum is used in the Border and Rim.